Back to the Roots
by volvagia09
Summary: Ichigo travels back in time and decides to prevent everything bad that happens to his friends due to Aizen's hunger of power to happen in the first place. Plays during the time of 'Turn Back the Pendulum'
1. Chapter 1

Captain-Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryusai was looking from his balcony onto the peaceful streets of Seireitei. The light of the rising sun was illuminating it into colours of beautiful shades of red, while the dew was sparkling in the first light of the day.

In times like these he was able to think the best. He always was an early riser, and the sight of the rising sun always reminded him that they were doing their job right. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to relish this view anymore, wouldn't he?

No one disturbed him, and nothing needed his full attention. It was just him, the chirping birds, and the cool air in his lungs. Here he was able to think things through he usually wouldn't have the time to during the day.

But today there were not many things he thought about, only one. This person drew his attention towards him since over a hundred years, ever since he suddenly appeared in Soul Society. He appeared out of thin air, and even today he was a total mystery to everyone. Yamamoto was no exceptions.

Sometime before he had stopped wondering about this man, for because no matter how hard he was thinking about him, he just couldn't figure out anything about that man. So he stopped before he got more white hairs in his beard than necessary. But eventually he just had to muse about him again and again, and it became some kind of hobby for him. It never became boring.

Around hundred years ago this man, this Shinigami, just appeared from nowhere. No one knew him, and he never attended the Shinigami Academy. It was a total mystery how he got his Shinigami powers, but everyone knew that, would he have lived in the Rukongai, he wouldn't have been able to hide.

The reason they noticed him was because suddenly an enormous amount of reiatsu could be felt from every high ranked officer of the Gortei 13. When a special team of Captains spread out to look what was emitting this huge amount of spiritual pressure, they found _him_ in one of the woods of Soul Society outside Rukongai.

He was still just a young boy (for Yamamoto at least, but who knew in Soul Society?), looked barely older than a teenager in the living world and had a weird haircolour. He was unconscious, but the boy didn't had to speak to let the Captains know that he was a Shinigami -due to the giant cleaver that lay beside him and the kind of clothes he wore-.

His black Shihakusho was ripped apart, and he was seriously wounded. The Captains decided to take him with them for medical support and further interrogation. After a few days in the 4th Division, he woke up, and the Captain of the Omnitsukido Neji Shihoin lead the interrogation.

At the Captains meeting after said interrogation, he appeared in a gruff and grumpy mood and said that the boy was no danger, but he hadn't revealed much else -to Shihoins dismay-. The young boy had not told where he got his Shinigami powers from, how he got into Soul Society, or how he even got his injuries.

Yamamoto was suspicious of this young man, and at the moment he was able to leave the 4th Division, he was brought to face the Captain-Commander personally. The boy hadn't looked the least bit intimidated. He just stood in front of his desk, scowled, and, after a while of silence, looked around in boredom. Back then and ever since he wasn't someone who showed respect to his superiors –or only a little bit-.

While they were standing there in silence, Yamamoto had enough time to read the boy's reiatsu signature, and no matter how he looked at it, the boy had the spiritual energy of a Captain, if not more, -although it seemed that he was poor in reiatsu control-. He just couldn't understand how someone like him was able to hide so long and wondered what was going on with this boy.

The first time the young man was able to surprise him was when he spoke to him for the first time. But not because of the wisdom of his words, it was more for of their boldness.

"Come on, old man. I know you want to ask me a ton of things. Let's get this over with before you turn to stone in your old days."

Never in his entire career as the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 Yamamoto ever experienced such a grade of unconventionality when someone spoke to him (except from Shunsui Kyoraku maybe).

And asked he did. The problem was that he just got uncertain and cryptic answers out of the boy's mouth. He agreed with Captain Shihoin that he seemed to be no danger to Soul Society, but he decided that he would keep a close eye on him.

What that meant that he was going to be a member of the Gotei 13.

Like every usual member he started small, as one of the unranked Shinigamis in Yamamoto's own Division. However, not much time had passed, and everyone saw that he was something special -nowhere near average-. His skills were extraordinary except Kido, but that had something to do with his lack of proper teaching in the Shinigami Academy. Although it was clear that he tried to not attract attention, it was also quite obvious that he was not only a master in Hakuda, but in Hoho and Zanjutsu as well, although his Zanpakuto was rather… bulky.

The Captain-Commander quickly decided that he had to know the whole spectrum of his abilities and ordered the Captains themselves to test the boy's strength.

The results were stunning.

His probe in Zanjutsu was the brutal and fight-obsessive Captain of the 11th Division Kenpachi Kiganju. The boy was not only able to stand against him but to defeat him, and with that, threw his opponent into a deep hole of shame. He was never properly acknowledged by his underlings ever again after it.

His other probe was Neji Shihoin, the leader of the Omnitsukido, who didn't only test him in Hoho but in Hakuda as well. The fact that the boy -obviously still a beginner- was able to keep up with Shihoin's speed and was able to fight during that time -being on par with him, one of the fastest persons in Seireitei- was something no one, not even Yamamoto, would have thought . Not in a hundred years.

The old Commander instantly knew that this boy would either bring big fortune for the Gotei 13, or great misery. To prevent latter he tried to find something out about the boy, but no matter how hard he searched for any information in the archives, in Rukongai and also in Seireitei, he could not find anything. In the meantime the young man got taught in the arts of Kido and reiatsu control from the Captain of the 4th division personally, Retsu Unohana.

It was obvious that the boy was poor in Kido, but Unohana supposed that that was due to his lack of reiatsu control. After that issue was remedied, he did fairly well, and again Yamamoto was surprised of the boy's fast learning aptitudes. He was able to cast the 50 spells in less than four months, although Captain Unohana had little time for him due to her duties.

In no time he climbed up the ranks in the 1st Division, but not just because he was strong. That was just one of the reasons, but not the main one. Another few reasons were his reliability and fast mind. When he was on missions and his team got into a tricky situation, he would be able to react respectively to every given problem -the well-being of others always above his own-.

As time passed Yamamoto realized that this mysterious boy was not just a non-respective brat and/or boastful because of his abilities. He was reliable, loyal for the ones who gained his loyalty, and, past his scowling and somehow delinquent-like appearance, lay a brave and reliable heart.

So when the position of the Captain of the 10th division lay open due to demise, Yamamoto hadn't hesitated long and suggested the young man as the new Captain.

All of this was nearly a hundred years ago, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto never regretted his decisions.

Though the mysterious young man nonchalantly called him 'Yama-jii', disobeyed several orders, and stretched the laws of Soul Society far too often than he felt comfortable with; there wasn't a _single_ moment that Yamamoto regretted his decision to make the befuddling young man, Kurosaki Ichigo, a member of the Gotei 13


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I never thought that so many people were reading this story! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, put this story to their Favorites and to their Story Alerts. Thank you! To show my gratitude I have the new chapter ready. I hope you enjoy it and I also hope that I don't crush your expectations. If you have any ideas how this story should continue, fell free to tell me. There is just one thing I'm against: yaoi. Not that I have someting against gays, I just can't imagine the Bleach-characters to be like that****.**

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing ^-^**

**I don't own Bleach or any of it's characters. Tite Kubo does.**

"…Have you already heard about it?" a Shinigami asked.

"No. What?" replied his friend next to him.

"How could you not hear about something like _that_? The Captain of the 11th was killed in front of his entire Division! That means there is a new Kenpachi taking over his place," the first one answered. Both of them stood at one of the four gates that lead to Seireitei, guarding it to prevent intruders from invading the heart of Soul Society. Both thought it was a pointless duty. Who was stupid enough to invade Seireitei?

Neither of them noticed the person who was sneaking up from behind them while they were chatting casually, just until they got smacked over the head. Holding their heads with tears in their eyes from the sudden pain, they turned around to look at the one who caught them inattentive. They promptly met the glare of their own Captain.

He stood behind them with his usual scowl on his face, and his arms crossed in front of his chest. His blade, a long and slim Tachi with red ribbons around the hilt and a square guard, hung over his right shoulder. The sleeveless haori, clearly marking him as a Captain, hung proudly over his tall frame, which stood in great contrast with his bright orange hair.

"I thought you two were guarding the gate?" he asked and glared down onto his two subordinates.

They swallowed heavily. "We are, Sir," one of them stuttered.

"Oh really? Well, I thought you two were holding a tea party, judging by the eager conversation you two just had. Maybe I should go and get you two some cookies," Ichigo said while his glare intensified.

The two other Shinigami winced and straightened up, their hands pressed to either of their sides. "That won't be necessary, Sir! We will go back to our positions immediately!" they hurried to say and went back to their posts quickly to evade their Captain's wrath.

"I don't know why we have to guard the gate anyways," one of the two whispered to his friend when they thought their Captain was out of earshot.

"You never know when some idiots are stupid enough to actually try to break into Seireitei through the front door. That's why," Ichigo shouted over his shoulder without looking back, missing the freaked out looks on his subordinates' faces.

Ichigo walked through Seireitei and towards the barracks of the 2nd Division. It was Saturday afternoon, and he was on his way to his weekly 'appointment'. Actually, it was only a boozy session with Yoruichi Shihoin and Shunsui Kyoraku. He still wondered how it actually happened when those two once invited him to one of those sessions, and more importantly, why he agreed to attend. But it became a ritual for all of them to just have a little fun after all the hard work they had to do as Captains, although Ichigo was the only one who really did his job properly.

Yoruichi, as well as, Shunsui were lazy and let their Lieutenants's do the whole paperwork, though they were great Captain's nonetheless.

Still after a hundred years it was weird to be on the same level as those two. Especially since when he broke into Soul Society back then, both of them weren't even stronger than him, but of a higher rank then as well -although he would have been a Captain himself would he have been a member of the Gotei 13-. The point was that he was now a Captain even longer than _Yoruichi,_ who taught him so much.

When he happened to come here a hundred years ago, he actually didn't plan to become a famous Captain. Or to attract attention in general. He actually never wanted to come here in the first place.

Everything was Aizen's fault.

Back home, Ichigo tried everything to hinder this maniac gathering of the souls of Karakura Town's people and trying to create the King's Key with them. But when he got out of the Dangai, he couldn't do anything against this lunatic. Everything he achieved until then, every hard battle he fought and won, was worth shit compared to Aizen's powers. Nothing he did had an effect on him, and, in the end, he had to watch how his friends and family died like flies while their souls had been sucked out of them.

He was lying in the dirt, his guilt and misery swelling inside him after Aizen left to go for the Spirit King, when Urahara came.

What Urahara told him was beyond everything Ichigo ever imagined to be possible.

_oOFlashbackOo_

He lay in the puddle of his own blood while he watched how Aizen opened the door to the Spirit King. A white paper door appeared where he placed the key in the air and turned it around. A black sun was imprinted on it. The symbol of the royal family.

Smiling he walked towards it, opened it and went inside, vanishing from Ichigo's view. The door disappeared shortly behind him as if nothing ever happened.

Ichigo gritted his teeth and punched the ground to release a bit of the frustration and pain he felt.

Everything was lost. Aizen would kill the king, his friends were dead -just like everyone else in this god forsaken town, even his family...

He clenched his fists while he tried to hold back the tears of frustration and guilt. He was useless. He couldn't protect _anyone_...

"What are you doing there, Ichigo?" a voice asked above him. Ichigo opened his eyes and looked up to meet gazes with Kisuke Urahara. His clothes were dirty and ripped apart, and he was covered in injuries -some more serious than the others- while he lacked his trademark hat.

"I failed Urahara," he got out before the pain over-swept him once again.

"Maybe," Urahara said after a while, "but that doesn't mean that we will lose."

Ichigo looked up again to see the blonde pull out something out of the pocket of his jacket. It was small and round, the size of a drop, red in colour.

"How far are you willing to go to stop Aizen?" Urahara asked while he kneeled in front of Ichigo.

"I would do _everything_ to stop him!" the teenager immediately said, pure determination in his voice and eyes. It was true. He would do everything to prevent all this shit from happening. In moments like these he wished he could turn back the time. No one will die, no one will be banished from Soul Society, no one will be sacrificed to satisfy Aizen's insane wishes.

"Even going back in time?" Urahara asked to his surprise, and his voice and facial expression were totally serious, indicating that he was not joking.

Ichigo looked at him and tried to not wonder if something like time travel was actually possible or not. Urahara could practically do everything.

He nodded, and the ex-Captain smiled, offering him the drop shaped orb. The orange-head took and observed it.

"How does this work?" he asked.

"Think about the time you want to travel to while swallowing the candy. But I have to warn you. I don't know what kind of consequences may occur, and I doubt that you will ever be able to come back."

"You mean that, if I change something in the past, that it may lead to me never existing? Something like that?"

"Actually, I meant that you could grow a second head or a third arm, but your consequence is possible as well," the shop keeper said while standing up and opening a fan he got out of nowhere, hiding his typical smile.

Ichigo scoffed while he observed the drop in his hand. Then he raised it to his mouth and put it in.

"Strawberry flavour? Seriously?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as he chewed on the candy, but then the world around him began to get blurry, and he got the feeling that his stomach was put into an activated mixer. He felt like throwing up, but then an incredible pain exploded in his head. The last thing he could think of before he lost consciousness was Aizen's successful attempt to put some Captains and Lieutenants out of his way to infiltrate the highest ranks of the Gotei 13.

oOEnd FlashbackOo

It didn't go quite as planned. He missed the time he actually wanted to go to by a hundred years, but that wasn't that bad. At least he had enough time to train.

Thanks to that he was finally able to control his reiatsu properly, so Zangetsu was not in his Shikai form all the time. Furthermore, he was now able to use Kido. He was already so good that Rukia wouldn't be able to tease him because of his poor skills anymore. Oh no, _he_ would be able to tease _her_!

The thought of her shot a sharp pain through his heart. He hadn't seen her or his other friends and family since a hundred years and he missed them terribly. But he knew that everything he did would allow them to live on, to be happy in a world in which Aizen would not start a war, in a world where they could live on in peace. Even without him.

He would bear it.

He would bear all the pain which came from his travel here. He already decided that when he was lying in the dirt back in Karakura Town. And he would bear the pain proudly, without any regrets.

Well, maybe without _most_ regrets. He would regret not seeing his sisters grow up. He would regret not standing beside Chad in some pointless fights on the street. He would regret not avoiding his father's assaults anymore, and he would regret not teasing Rukia because of her height or poor drawing.

But it was okay. He already said it, didn't he?

He would do everything to stop Aizen. And who knew? Maybe if Urahara from the future could make something that made it possible to travel back in time, maybe the Urahara of the past could make something to bring him back.

* * *

"And do you know what she did after it?" Shunsui asked, a fat smile on his face and a drink in his hand while he told one of his anecdotes that broached the relationship of the Captain and his Lieutenant.

"Ohhhh, let me guess: She punished you with her book!" Yoruichi said amused, filling up her own cup again.

"Exactly! But it was not one of the slim ones she usually carried. No, it was a dictionary! Whoever said that words don't hurt never got hit by a dictionary. I still had a headache two hours later," he finished his story while Yoruichi struggled to keep her sake due to the fact that she actually wanted to break down in laughter.

Ichigo sat between them and chuckled. He already knew how Shunsui treated his Lieutenants, and how said Lieutenants reacted. It was always funny, no matter how often his drinking buddy told one and the same story.

They sat on a terrace near the private rooms of the female Captain, savoring the last warm beams of the sun. By the look of it, Shunsui, to Ichigo's left, was already quite drunk, but no one could ever know when his antics were caused by the alcohol or when he made them on purpose.

Yoruichi to his right was rolling on the floor laughing, holding her stomach and begging for air. The orange-head knew that, no matter how much she drank, her attitude would not change. First of all, it was because she had a high tolerance against alcohol, and secondly, it was also because she _always_ acted immature, no matter the situation.

"Oh my! I can't believe it! I got something out of Ichigo-kun that resembles a smile!" Shunsui said, apparently and honestly surprised while he was wiping a tear out of a corner of his eye, saying how much it meant to him.

"If you always knew that I'm no fun to be around, then why have you invited me to your boozy sessions in the first place?" Ichigo asked, his trademark scowl back on his face.

"Well actually, we thought that we could make you drunk enough so you tell us how you got to Soul Society, but it didn't went quite as planned," Yoruichi replied, a smile still plastered on her face. "But how do they say: hope never dies!"

Ichigo sighed in exhaustion and took another sip of his drink while the other two Captain's began to talk about their colleagues' antics and exchanged their newest tidings. The half of the higher ranked officers in Seireitei already tried to elicit his secrets from him in one way or another. Lieutenant Hiyori Sakuragi once enchained him to a chair and played to him the records of an _incredibly bad_ dixieband. She nearly broke him, but he held out against it and was eventually able to escape with the help of a spoon.

He never trusted anyone anymore after that incident, not sure when one of his so-called 'friends' tried to torture him.

"You're in?" Ichigo heard a voice asking. He turned his head to his right and saw Yoruichi looking at him.

"Sorry, I didn't listen," he said.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "I asked if you are in to visit the barracks of the 11th Division to check out the new Captain. Shunsui already refused to come along."

Ichigo frowned. Actually there shouldn't be another Captain of the 11th Divsion just yet as far as he knew, but it seems that his appearance here had already changed the flow of time.

Wait! If there was a new Captain in the 11th Division, then that could only mean...

"No thanks!" Ichigo replied quickly, knowing that, if he went to the barracks and met the new Captain, that he would not return without a fight. That was for sure!

Yoruichi looked at him suspiciously, but then suddenly she smiled and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"If you don't want to come along, then I have to drag you there," she said.

Before Ichigo could do something, she grabbed his collar and dragged away. Shunsui continued lying on the terrace, his straw hat over his face, and used his hands as a cushion behind his head.

"Youngsters these days..." he said and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm soooooooooooooooooo sorry for the late update! I was on a vacation for a week and then I was away for a weekend. I try to be faster the next time. Furthermore the first chapters will be more of an introduction of the characters, so the whole action will be in later chapters. I try to hurry up. But now, with no further ado, enjoy the next chapters and please review afterwards.**

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing.**

**I don't own Bleach or it's characters. Poor me :´( **

Ikkaku was walking through the hallway towards the room of his 'Captain', his friend Yumichika right beside him. They came here not even a week ago, but they saw at first sight that this whole Shinigami stuff would be a whole lot of fun.

Compared to the fights they had in Rukongai, the ones here would be fun as hell!

When his 'Captain' said he would go to Seireitei to challenge the Kenpachi of the 11th Division out of boredom, he thought at first that the three- wait, _four_- of them would be stronger than any pampered midget in here. But it was not so easy for his 'Captain' to win the battle against Kigajun.

But, damn! It was a hell of a fight!

He never saw his 'Captain' as happy as in the moment when Kigajun accepted the challenge, and they began to fight. It was violent, it was brutal, and both of them tried to kill each other with every part of their being. Ikkaku got a smile in his face by even thinking about his 'Captain's' expression.

Both of them passed a corner and stood in front of a big wooden door. Some furniture and a desk stood was to the side -like they were thrown out and forgotten, only waiting to be picked up by the garbage collection.

Not bothering to knock Ikkaku opened the door and stepped in. The only furniture in the room was an eight foot tall mirror on one of the walls. In front of the mirror stood a seven foot tall muscular man with long dark hair and a haori which was thrown over his Shinigami attire. He was covered in bandages, but he seemed to have no pain. He was looking at himself in the huge mirror and turned from one side to the other before he shrugged his shoulders and ripped of the sleeves of his haori.

"You look great Kenny!" a high pitched voice called out behind Ikkaku. Before he could react properly someone, a little girl, was already sitting on his bald head and punching it with the palm of her hand.

"Don't you think so, too? Hm? Hm? Hm? HM?" the girl asked, and with every question she hit him harder with the palm of her hand.

"I think the colour of his haori supports the colour of his eyes", Yumichika came to his friends rescue. Satisfied with the answer she jumped down and ran towards the tall man, jumping onto his shoulder.

"Why 'Kenny'?" Ikkaku asked, rubbing his head.

"Because he is Kenpachi you dummy," the girl said and puffed her rosy cheeks.

"Yeah, but that is actually just a title. He still needs a real name," the bald man said and crossed his arms.

Everyone in the room began to think really hard, and it was quiet for few minutes until the girl chimed in again.

"Ohh! I know a good name! From now on your name is Zaraki!" she said as if everything was decided.

"You give him the name of the district he came from, just like he gave you the name of the district you came from? Not very creative, Yachiru," Ikkaku said.

Suddenly she jumped off Kenpachi's shoulder right into Ikkakus face and scuffed back onto her Captain's shoulder. After that Yachiru turned her head towards Yumichika and looked at him expectantly.

"It's a wonderful and creative name no matter how you look at it," he said quickly, not wanting to be hit as well. It would just ruin his hairstyle.

Not caring what was going on, Kenpachi still looked at himself in the mirror, twitching on his haori.

"Why do I have to wear this thing?" he finally said frowning.

"Because you are the strongest fighter in the strongest Division of Soul Society now!" Yachiru chirped and smiled at him in the mirror. His frown just deepened, and he muttered some curses under his breath before he eventually turned around.

"I heard that I need something like a Lieutenant," he said. He picked up something that lay beside the one furniture and tossed it into Yachiru's hands. "That will be you Yachiru."

"YAYYYY!" she cheered and punched one of her hands in the air before she let herself down to run circles around the tall man.

"I don't care about the other positions, so arrange that among yourselves," he said and turned around again, twitched at his haori once again.

"I'm the third seat!" Ikkaku immediately said, one of his hands still over the bleeding nose Yachiru gave him which she had just kicked a minute ago. He was waiting for this since Kenpachi won over the former Captain. He wouldn't let himself be placed into a lower rank because of a nosebleed!

"You're soooooooo mean! I wanted to be number three!" Yumichika whined and put his hands on his hips, backing up his disapproval with a pout.

After a while he turned his head to the side and finally said, "Fine. Then I want to have the fifth seat!"

Ikkaku just looked at him and asked, "Are you stupid?"

"No. Why?" his friend asked back with a confused look on his face.

"Because after three comes four. If you can't be number three, then why do you want to be number five instead of number four?"

"Because four is an ugly number," Yumichika said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Ikkaku sighed, but he shrugged it off, being used to his friends antics in matters of 'beauty'.

Before this absurd discussion could go on any longer, a Shinigami rushed into the room. He was out of breath, but he straightened up and saluted under the eyes of the ones attended.

"Captain, Sir. Two other Captains are waiting at the entrance of the Division. They want to see you, Sir." He said and stood still, waiting for a reply.

Kenpachi frowned and took a step ahead to signal that he was coming. The Shinigami saluted again and rushed away, most likely to tell the waiting Captains that his own Captian was on his way. When he walked past her, Yachiru jumped onto his shoulder again while Ikkaku and Yumichika walked after their Captain.

While they were walking through the hallway, Ikkaku wondered why some other Captains wanted to speak to his own. As far as he knew, Kenpachi should be introduced to the other Captains tomorrow. Maybe they were friends of Kigajun and wanted revenge for his death!

Unconsciously he put one hand over the hilt of his sword, ready to attack everyone who tried to attack the man he vowed to serve from behind. When they approached Kenpachi head on, though, he would never dare to interfere in the battle. He liked his life thank you very much!

"I hope it's not that woman from the 4th Division," Kenpachi murmured in front of him. If Ikkaku wouldn't know better, he would have thought that he heard something like _fear_ in his Captain's voice... Nah! That couldn't be!

"Why? Aren't the quitters from the fourth just some weaklings who have no other abilities than healing?" Yumichika asked as confused from the taller man's tone as well.

Kenpachi frowned and muttered something under his breath. Something about a 'doctor from hell' and a 'demon woman'. Before his subordinates could ask what he meant, they were out in front of the entrance to their Division's quarters. The first things he noticed, when Ikkaku stepped out into the sunlight, were a mass of orange hair and the only female person in a radius of two miles.

Only on second glance could he identify the guy with the orange hair and the woman to be the Captains who wanted to see his own.

They didn't look that strong to him. The woman was rather small, had short violet hair, and was a real beauty. The guy with the orange hair stood right beside her and was much taller than his companion, but he was still a head shorter than Kenpachi. He had a scowl on his face and actually rather gawky from what Ikkaku could see. He immediately asked himself if Captains were allowed to dye their hair. They seemed to have an argument, but as soon as the four of them stepped out they stopped and looked towards them.

"What?" Kenpaci asked before any of the two could say something.

The woman scowled and crossed her arms over her busty chest, "That's not very nice, you know? We just came to check out what kind of guy the newbie is, but it seems that you are just as rude as your predecessor." After that she smiled and reached out to Kenpachi, grabbing his hand and shaking it violently.

"We should have a better start then, don't you think? I'm Yorruichi Shihoin. Captain of the 2nd Division and supreme-commander of the Omnitsukido. Nice to meet you."

She let go of the taller man's hand and stepped behind the guy with the orange hair. He looked grumpy and uninterested, just as if he wanted to get away as soon as possible.

"And this," Yoruichi said, smiling and pushing her colleague forwards. Totally surprised, he stumbled towards Kenpachi, nearly crashing into him, "This is Ichigo Kurosaki, Captain of the 10th Division."

Said person turned his head towards his female colleague and glared at her. Then he turned back again and simply said, "Hi. And no."

Everyone looked at him in confusion. His sentence didn't make any sense.

"What do you mean with 'no'?" Ikkaku asked.

"No, I didn't dye my hair. I know that at least one of you wanted to ask me about it. Every new guy does," he said while his scowl deepened. Suddenly loud laughter followed by a dull impact could be heard. Yachiru fell from Kenpachi's shoulder and rolled on the floor.

"You are jolly," she got out and everybody sighed. "I bet you could be great friends with Kenny!" she said when she got back onto said Captain's shoulder.

"Are you kidding?" Ichigo and Kenpachi shout out. The first one out of anger and the second out of disbelieve.

"First: I have no friends. Second: If I were to have one then it wouldn't be a weakling," latter said with a bored expression.

Ichigo frowned. "Who said that I'm weak?"

"The title of Kenpachi is given to the strongest fighter in Soul Society. Captain beat up the last Kenpachi, so now he is the one who holds the title of the strongest fighter. According to this logic you are weaker than our Captain," Yumichika said with a smile. Ichigo and Yoruichi looked at each other before they broke out into heavy laughter. The others just stared at them, confused from their sudden outburst.

"Kigejun was the strongest fighter in Soul Society! Hahahahaha!" Yoruichi shouted and fell to the floor holding her stomach. Ichigo wiped a tear out of his eyes and tried to catch his breath before he let out a comment himself.

"I already beat Kigejun a hundred years ago, though I let him keep his title," he said, a smile still plastered on his face.

The four members of the 11th Division just stared at him. Ikkaku and Yumichika with open mouths, Yachiru with blank eyes, and Kenpachi just stood there as if he was made of stone.

"You... You beat the former Kenpachi of the 11th Division a hundred years ago? But that means..." Ikkaku said still a little dumbfounded.

"That means that he may be stronger then Captain Kenpachi..." Yumichika ended his friend's sentence. They looked at each other and then at their Captain. He still hadn't moved a muscle, although Yachiru was poking him in his cheek to get a reaction.

"Is he alright?" asked Yoruichi, who now waved a hand in front of the tall man's face.

Suddenly, his spiritual pressure rose rapidly until it formed an aura of reiatsu around his body. Yoruichi stepped back, and Yachiru jumped off of his shoulder, a grin on her face. Insane laughter filled the air, and Ikkau and Yumichika backed off, knowing what was going to happen.

"Oh no," Yoruichi heard Ichigo say and turned around. He wore a Not-Again-expression and already drew his Zampakuto.

"That's why I didn't wanted to come here," he said before something big crashed into him.

A shockwave erupted when the two swords met, but, -although Kenpachi was a man of huge strength, was taller than Ichigo, and released most of his reiatsu- he couldn't bring his opponent's sword to yield a millimeter

Excited by the new challenge, he raised his swordarm and wanted to strike Ichigo, but he jumped to the side. Instead of flesh, Kenpachi's sword just hit the ground, breaking it in the process.

"You are not getting away!" Kenpachi yelled and jumped towards his opponent. Again Ichigo's only option was to dodge his attack, but, compared to the Kenpachi in _his_ timeline, this one here still had a lot to catch up.

Ichigo pushed his sword away and took a swing of his own. Again both swords clashed against each other. None of them were able to get the advantage in the fight, but this didn't matter to Kenpachi. He could smell that this would be the best fight in his whole life!

At the side of the battlefield, Yoruichi was watching the fight. She never saw Ichigo going lazy on someone, and it was quite interesting that he started to do so in a fight like _this_.

"I wonder why the Captain is not going all out," Yumichika asked nobody in particular. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow and turned her attention back to the battle in front of her. For her the big, insane guy with the smile of a lunatic didn't look like someone who held back.

"It's because Kenny has so much fun with Ichi," Yachiru stated while she watched her beloved Kenpachi with a smile on her face.

"Fun?" Yoruichi asked in disbelieve. Well, if she should imagine how the new Captain would look like if he's happy, she would have imagined something similar to this. She sighed in exasperation. This guy was not as bad as the last one. He was worse.

Meanwhile, Ichigo got tired of this fight. This wasn't how he imagined his day to be when he woke up this morning. He didn't want to hurt Kenpaci _badly,_ but his reiatsu was growing and growing, and he didn't seem to realize he was out-matched. He already was a fight-loving lunatic in _his_ timeline. How could he think that it would be different _here_?

Not caring about the consequences anymore, Ichigo raised his arm to release his Shikai and end this fight, but he didn't have to when he felt an enormous spiritual pressure behind him. Kenpachi stopped dead in his tracks and looked at something behind Ichigo. Ichigo turned around and was greeted with the Captain-Commander himself.

He was walking towards the 11th Division, and everyone could see that he was not happy.

Not. A. Bit.

Quickly, Ichigo let down his arm and stepped aside, pointing at Kenpachi, yelling out, "He started it!"

Yamamoto came closer and glared at the two Captains, "I don't care who started it, but I am going to end this. I don't need another dead Captain this week."

Kenpachi huffed and turned away, "If he would have been more fun, I may have left him alive to fight him again one day."

"When did I say that Kurosaki-san would have been killed?" Yamamoto asked, but before Kenpachi could be surprised by that comment the old man continued, "Actually I came here to instruct you on the duties and responsibilities of a Captain."

He looked meaningfully at Kenpachi and turned around to leave again. Kenpachi sighed, sheathed his sword, and walked after the old Captain-Commander. From what he felt earlier, he didn't wanted to be on the man's bad side.

Ichigo sighed as well and put back his sword. He was relieved that he didn't have to fight Kenpachi seriously. He turned around and saw that Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Yachiru were leaving as well. Without their Captain here to fight, they had nothing better to do than to search for something different they could do. Training, for example.

Just when Ichigo wanted to walk over to Yoruichi, another person appeared in front of her. It was a member of the Omnitsukido. He knelt in front of the female Captain and lowered his head before he began to speak.

"There was an outbreak in the Maggots Nest!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Again I want to thank everyone who reads and reviews this story. Thank you! **

**Thank you Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing :)**

**I don't own Bleach or it's characters. Tite Kubo does.**

The trees were only uncertain blurs of green and brown when Yoruichi and Ichigo shunpoed past them on their way to the Maggots nest. A breakout was a serious incident, but Ichigo was sure that it didn't require the strength of _two_ Captains to solve the problem.

"Why exactly do you want me to come along?" the orange-head asked a bit annoyed. This was really not what he imagined his day to be this morning.

"In the Maggots Nest are the most dangerous potential criminals imprisoned. Isn't it understandable that I simply want to make sure that nothing goes wrong?" Ichigo knew that this was not the reason for her request. When the man of the Omnitsukido brought her the message of the break-out she just yawned and waved him off, saying that she would 'crash the party'. Even now her movements and facial expression didn't show the slightest bit of nervousness.

"I now that you are fully capable to handle every single prisoner inside the facility with your left pinky, so I ask you again: Why did you want me to come along?"

Yoruichi looked over her right shoulder towards her colleague and frowned, and then she turned around again without saying anything for a while. Her voice was somehow concerned when she began to speak.

"It's about my 3rd seat, Kisuke Urahara."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at that name. No matter how much of an idiot Urahara can be, he was fully capable to handle something like a break-out in the Maggots Nest, otherwise he wouldn't be the one leading it.

"Kisuke is strong and reliable. He has a lot of potential and has already acquired his Bankai. It is a shame that he is rotting away as a 3rd seat as some prison guard," Yoruichi snorted at the last part, and Ichigo slowly realized what she wanted.

"You want me to see how strong he is so I can give a recommendation when they seek someone for a higher position? The position for a Captain for example?" Although the sentence was formed as a question, Yoruichi knew that her colleague understood her intentions. "I would be satisfied if he would become a Lieutenant for the time being."

Again Ichigo had to raise an eyebrow. It was an open secret that he changes his Lieutenant nearly as often as other people change their socks, but he was not willing to endure Urahara as his deputy, nor did he want his Division to endure him either. Yoruichi already continued while Ichigo was in thoughts.

"I know that you have no Lieutenant at the moment, Ichigo. Why did he have to go this time by the way?"

Ichigo's trademark scowl deepened while he thought about his last deputy. He remembered that he was big. In a negative way. He had to weigh at least 300 pound and had hairy forearms. Ichigo didn't even remember his name or why he even chose him as a Lieutenant, only replying, "Did you ever see that guy?"

"No I didn't, but he wouldn't be a Lieutenant as good as Kisuke anyways. Come on Ichigo! Give it a shot!" Yoruichi tried to convince her colleague. She lost a bit of her speed so she ran alongside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I rather want to eat a broom than to let this guy into my Division," he said and wiggled out of her grip. She scowled and put some distance between them. "Did you meet Kisuke by any chance?" she asked.

"I am at your Division every Saturday for at least the last twenty years. Of course I met him somewhere," Ichigo said, successfully mimicking the fact that he knew Kisuke Urahara better than he himself. The truth was that he never met the man since he got to this time-line. Yoruichi sighed and was on to another attempt to convince him to let Urahara be his Lieutenant when they arrived at the Maggots Nest.

Just as Ichigo thought, the once broken out prisoners were already being captivated again. Omnitsukido's were bringing them back into the facility, and some of the poor souls looked as if they took a serious beating. A blonde man stood in front of the chaos of prisoners and their guards, coordinating them. He turned around the second Yoruichi and Ichigo entered the scenery.

"Ahhhh, Captain. I'm sorry, but you already missed the party," he said while smiling idiotic. Just how Ichigo remembered him, just without the stupid hat and his fan. He nearly expected Tessai to jump out of the next bush and say that everything has been taken care of.

"Which one of them started the ruckus?" Yoruichi asked while she and the other Captain came closer.

"Oh, it was one of the less dangerous guys in here. He simulated a heart attack. When the medics came, he overwhelmed them and was able to get out to the main entrance. Encouraged by his escape other prisoners started some escapes, too, but we were able to get all of them without exception," Urahara reported.

"And what is with _him_?" his Captain asked, unexpected serious for a change. Urahara's smile vanished.

"He is all save in his cell. He didn't move a muscle when the whole action started," he said. Yoruichi sighed and patted her subordinate's shoulder before she turned around, preparing to leave again now that her help wasn't needed. Ichigo sighed as well, but not out of relieve but out of exasperation.

A useless trip, just as he said. Why was nobody listening to him?

Yoruichi waved a goodbye to Urahara over her shoulder and jumped away. Ichigo followed her, and soon he was beside her once again.

"Soooooooooo, don't you want to overthink your opinion of Kisuke?" she asked with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Not in a million years," Ichigo replied, "I'm not _that_ desperate."

* * *

He needed a Lieutenant. Desperately.

But no one in his own Division was capable enough to claim this position, and he didn't want to steal a good man from one of the other Divisions. He really was in a predicament. If he wouldn't find another one fast, old man Yamamoto would make his life a misery.

The only option he had left was to recruit a Shinigami-to-be, but every time he visited the Shinigami Acedemy, all of the students would be like little children, looking at him in admiration while they tried to please him. None of them had character, and he didn't want some kind of puppy-dog as a Lieutenant.

There was only one option left for him. Rukongai.

He sneaked out of his Division at night to not get any attention from his men, clad in a simple Yukata. Some parts of Rukongai don't react very friendly to Shinigami, so he chose to go in disguise. It was easier to search for a suitable candidate at night due to the fact that, while sleeping, the uncontrolled spiritual powers become unleashed.

Though till now Ichigo had little luck.

Although he found some people with higher spiritual pressure, they were not strong enough to become a Lieutenant. He would tell the Academy to send a few of their men out here to collect them, but that was it. He already searched in more than 60 Districts in the north, but he still found no one he would choose as his deputy.

At the moment he was standing in a forest at the outskirts of District 64. He grew more frustrated and tired by the hours since he was already at it for so long that the sun had to rise in two hours or so. Ichigo sighed in exasperation and began to walk into the direction of Seireitei, choosing to continue the search another night.

He wouldn't have this problem when he would simply find someone like Renji or Rukia, but they were most likely not even in Soul Society yet. Someone like Hisagi wouldn't be bad, too, but he was not ready yet. He was still a little child with no noteworthy reiatsu. Maybe it was just his jaundiced opinion, but everybody who had no high rank in Seireitei in _his_ time-line was no one suitable enough for such a rank _now_.

Ichigo walked through the forest for a few minutes when he saw a small clearing in the distance. He was tired and exhausted after he ran around the Rukon District for a good part of the night, and he thought that he could simply have a little nap till sunrise on this clearing to gain a bit of his strength back. He was a reliable Captain, so he could come a little late to work once in a while.

While lost in thoughts, he almost didn't catch the spiritual pressure that resided on the clearing. Ichigo could feel four people there -one reiatsu stronger than the others, but not so strong that he would think of him as a threat. Somehow he recognized this spiritual signature...

He quickly hid behind a tree near the clearing and peaked past his ambush. In front of him knelt three Shinigami in front of a fourth one, holding their heads low so Ichigo couldn't see their faces. But he could recognize the fourth face everywhere.

Aizen.

He was standing in front of his underlings while they handed him something. It was glowing and a little smoking when they gave it to him. Aizen was just looking at it and finally put it into a container. He smiled at his men and said something that Ichigo couldn't understand.

He had a hard time controlling himself at the moment. Since many years now he met Sosuke Aizen on more or less a regular basis. Until now he was able to hold back his anger and hatred for this man. He couldn't just kill him due to the fact that nobody knew what he was planning. If he would simply kill him, Ichigo would be put into jail or would be executed, but if Aizen would survive thanks to one of his trick, Ichigo would only be able to watch how history repeated itself. No, he had to wait for the right moment to come.

So every time he met him on some occasions, he would reduce his hatred to antipathy. But now he saw how Aizen was full-filling a part of his plan. He tried to create his own Hogyoku.

It was hard for Ichigo to hold back now, now that he was standing right in front of him and revealed his true face. Now that Aizen stood in front of him and fed his Hogyoku with the souls of innocent people.

Quickly, he hid behind the tree again to calm down. He took deep breaths and tried to hinder his reiatsu from leaking out. It would not only give away his position but his identity, too. He had to be cool and in control. He had to be-

Suddenly he saw a movement to his left and cowered behind some bushwood. Ichigo slowly raised his head and peaked towards the direction of the movement. There squatted a little boy behind some bushes and observed Aizen and his men. He had white hair and wore a simple yukata. When he turned his head a little into Ichigo's direction, he recognized him as Gin Ichimaru.

He didn't seem to notice the disguised Captain and just looked at Aizen. He wasn't sure, but Ichigo believed to see something like anger and determination in Ichimaru's gaze. He didn't wear his fox-like smile, and his brows were drawn together into a frown. Again Ichigo looked towards Aizen and could understand a little bit of the things he was telling his men. Something about 'getting more' and 'better quality'. Although he didn't like his choice of words, he knew what Aizen was talking about. More souls of Rukongai with higher spiritual pressure.

He glanced back towards Ichimaru but saw that he was already sneaking away from the clearing. With a last look towards Aizen, he followed after the child. While he was following him, he remembered the last time he saw Gin Ichimaru. Back then he was bleeding to death and had only one arm left after he tried to kill his supposed superior.

At first Ichigo thought that sometime during his work for Aizen, Gin chose to betray him and to use the Hogyoku on his own, but now he wasn't that sure anymore. He saw the anger in his look and wondered if, maybe, there was more to it.

Soon they reached another clearing. This time a barrack was standing on it. It was small and a little shabby, but still standing. He watched the child getting in while he still stood at the outskirts of the clearing. Making up his mind Ichigo stepped forward towards the barrack.

He looked past the canvas that covered the entrance into the only room in the little house. Ichimaru stood in front of a girl with blonde hair. He instantly recognized Rangiku Matsumoto, but he wasn't surprised. He knew that she and Ichimaru lived together when they were children. She seemed to be worried about him, but he shrugged it off. Ichigo chose this moment to make himself noticeable and knocked on the doorframe before he pushed the canvas aside and stepped in.

Ichimaru instantly turned around and stood in front of Matsumoto to protect her form everyone who wanted to harm her. He picked up a branch that lay beside him on a pile, most likely firewood. Matsumoto looked scared and intimidated, so unlike her that Ichigo had to wonder if it was really the same person he knew. Ichimaru was looking at him in such a determined manner that the Captain seriously thought that this little boy could take him on.

And then something clicked in Ichigo's head. Back then, when he saw Ichimaru lying on the ground half dead, he wondered what his motives may have been. But now he saw it in front of his eyes. He tried to protect. Maybe it was only Rangiku at first, but maybe he chose to protect others along after some time. Maybe the angry look on his face when he watched Aizen meant that he knew that he would be after Matumoto sooner or later, too, due to the fact that she already had a too strong reiatsu to be unnoticed.

Ichigo realized that Ichimaru was never a subordinate of Aizen. He was an opponent.

With this awareness he lent on the doorframe, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked down on the two children, saying, "Don't worry. I'm not one of them."

Ichimaru looked at him in suspicion, the branch still firm in his hands, and asked, "Then who are you?" Ichigo looked at him and mustered a little smile.

"I am like you," he replied, "I am someone who wants to protect the one's I hold dear."

Confusion was shown on Ichimaru's face. "What do you mean by that?"

"You saw then man on the clearing, didn't you? The one who stood in front of the other men?" Ichigo asked in return. The boy nodded in return, but didn't lower his branch.

"This man is called Sosuke Aizen and is the Lieutenant of the 5th Division," Ichigo said.

Ichimaru frowned and asked, anger obvious in his voice, "That means that Seireitei is behind him collecting souls?"

"No. He is acting on his own for a while now," the Captain clarified.

"And why are the Shinigami's not doing anything against him?" the boy asked still angry.

"Because they have no clue what he is doing. In front of others, he is the nice obedient Vice-Captain everyone likes," Ichigo gave the answer. Again Ichimaru was looking at him in suspicion.

"And how do I know that you are not lying to me? How do I know that you are not one of his men, too?"

Suddenly Ichimaru and Matsumoto were crushed by an immense spiritual pressure. The wood of the barrack was groaning under it, and the small rocks on the ground were flying into the air, driven by the immense power that filled the air. Ichigo was standing in the center of it. His face was furious and his eyes filled with hatred.

"Never compare me to Aizen," he lectured the boy. He looked at Ichigo, intimidated and in shock, but nodded his head.

Ichigo forced his reiatsu back under his control. It was rare for him nowadays to let it out like this, but when Ichimaru said those words, all the hatred and aversion he stored inside him for the last decades came out at once. He closed his eyes, took some deep breaths, and calmed down again. He was relieved that Aizen was already gone, otherwise he would have felt his reiatsu and would be alerted.

He opened his eyes again and looked towards the children. Matsumoto was cowering behind Ichimaru. He had a hard time breathing and was pale as a sheet of paper. The boy was still standing, but looked a little less confident by now. Ichigo could clearly see the sweat on his forehead.

Ichigo sighed and took a step forward. Ichimaru was backing up a little, but he had little room due to Matsumoto still kneeling behind him. The Captain kneeled in front of the boy and looked him in the eyes.

"I hate Aizen with every cell of my being. And I want to see him dead," he told Ichimaru. The boy just looked at him a little frightened.

"He took the ones I love away from me," Ichigo said and put his hand into his Yukata. He pulled it out again and gave the envelope in it to Ichimaru. He hesitated but eventually took it, though a little wary.

"If you want to prevent that from happening, choose the right path," the disguised Captain said and stood up again, leaving the barrack. Ichimaru stood there a little dumbfounded, not knowing what just happened. He stared down onto the envelope the man gave him and decided to open it.

It was an invitation for the Shinigami Academy.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yay, new chappy :D I hope you like it. Furthermore I wanted to say that school starts again next week and that it could be that there will be less updates, but don't worry my fearless comrades! I will not abandon this story! (*Yeah!* *You're the best!*) Ahem... well, now enjoy the next chapter and don't forget to review ;) **

**Ahhhhh, I nearly forgot: We crossed the 50 reviews edge! *loud cheers* And the 50th reviewer is... 33k72! An invisible cookie for you ^-^**

**Again thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing**

**I don't own anything of this story except the idea and I don't make any profit with it**

Ichigo was dead tired. There was just one thing he wanted right now: his bed. He yawned into his hand while he ran through the row of houses in the first District of Rukongai. He could already see the white walls of Seireitei and was looking forward to slip under the soft sheets of his bed.

He changed his direction a bit to not meet the guardian, for his visit in the Rukon District was still a secret. He jumped onto the wall and looked down to look out for a patrol, but saw none. It wouldn't have mattered anyways. He was a Captain and as such he was able to sneak away with ease. Ichigo jumped down again and quickly ran towards the quarters of his Divisions, always spreading out his sensors for the reiatsu of possible patrols.

So when he felt a group of at least six Shinigamis in his way, he quickly changed his direction, cursing for being forced to make a detour via the ground of the 12th Division. He prayed that Hiyori wasn't awake already.

"What do you want?" he heard a voice asking. Quickly Ichigo hid behind one of the buildings, although it made little sense that he did for he was already discovered. Much to his surprise another voice was answering the first.

"Oh, don't worry. Nothing bad, I assure you." Ichigo frowned. He recognized both voices, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Slowly he peaked around the corner and was looking out for any other people. He quickly found them on a small plaza. There stood two Shinigami, one bigger than his companion. He saw that it was a man and a woman, which he already guessed based on the voiced he heard. He couldn't make out their faces, but what caught his attention was the white haori the smaller person wore. The bigger one seemed to wear something similar. The only difference was that his haori was tied around his upper arm.

Wait a minute! He knew someone who wore his haori like that! Quickly he scanned his surroundings for an ambush that was closer to the two figures to get a better view of them. Hiding his reitsu he ran to a small side street. Again he peaked around the corner and now he could see both of their faces. He knew both of them.

The woman was no other then the Captain of the 12th Division Kirio Hikifune. Well, that was not a big surprise for it was the ground of her own Division. The real surprise was the man standing in front of her. His own father, Isshin Kurosaki, though a bit younger and with less hair in his face.

Ichigo's eyes grew wide when he saw his old man. Sure, he knew that he was a Shinigami and that he was a Captain once in his life, but since Ichigo came here a hundred years ago he haven't seen him in Soul Society, so he thought that he must have been a Captain later in time. When his father began to talk again he pushed his thoughts away to understand what he was saying.

"I want to offer you a new job," Isshin said casually and leaned back against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest and a big smile on his face.

Kirio shifted her weight before she answered. She looked quite observing, as if she searched for any sign of threat in her counterpart's stance and behavior.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked suspiciously.

Isshin's grin grew wider. "How does a position in the Royal Guard sound to you?"

Ichigo nearly fell out of his ambush after hearing this, but Kirio stood totally still, a passive expression on her face.

"Are you kidding me?" she finally asked, her face still serious.

"For heaven's sake! No!" Isshin said in (fake) horror, holding his hands up in front of him, but Kirio wasn't stupid. She knew that he was smarter than he pretended to be.

"How do I know that you are really a member of the Royal Guard?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Isshin grinned again and began to lose his haori. After he was done he held the piece of fabric in front of him. On its back stood the number 0, framed with the symbol of the royal family, the black sun. Still grinning he tied it around his arm again and looked at Kirio expectantly. She didn't say anything for quite a few moments.

"Why me?" she finally asked. "There are Captain's more suitable for a position like that. Unohana-san, Kyoraku-san, and for all I know even, Kurosaki-san is able to defeat most Captains although he is holding back most of his strength. Why me?"

"It's not only about strength, you know," Isshin said, "It's true that Unohana is very strong, but she is a thoroughgoing medic. She couldn't bring herself to actually kill or even attack someone, and honestly, we have our own doctor in the king's realm. Kyoraku is lazy and his disrespect with authorities can develop into a serious problem if you understand what I mean. And Kurosaki... well, his past is a little suspicious, and I can't entrust someone with the safety of our king who I don't trust.

The fact is that you, my dear Captain Hikifune, are intelligent, reliable and strong. You are one of the best Captain's in Soul Society and because of that I offer you are job in the Royal Guard." Isshin turned around and prepared to leave, but looked over his shoulder one last time. "I'll come back tomorrow night. Think about it and tell me what your answer is." With that he left.

Kirio was standing in the middle of the plaza for a few moments, totally lost in thoughts. After a while she sighed and left towards her office, leaving Ichigo alone. He was in thoughts as well. He never thought that his old man could have been the Captain of the Royal Guard, the legendary 0th Division. Somehow this picture wouldn't fit with the one he had of his father when he still lived in Karakura Town. His father _there_ was childish, hyperactive and totally dense, although he had his bright moments once in a while.

He shook his hand and set off to his own quarters. He seriously needed some sleep after this.

* * *

Ichigo yawned into his hand while he was on his way towards the 12th Division. He had a few hours to sleep, but he was still tired. Although he usually didn't interfered with other people's business, he just needed to put in his twopenn'orth. If Kirio Hikifune would refuse to join the 0th Squad, Urahara wouldn't become a Captain and then there would be no Research and Development Institute. Although it wouldn't be a big deal to not let Mayuri Kurotsuchi see the light of day, but Ichigo knew that maybe all of this could have unpredictable consequences in the future.

"What do you want here, Carrot Head?" he heard someone shout behind him. He already knew who it was, and what was going to happen. So he ducked when a small figure was jumping towards him, her foot extended to kick him in the back of his head. Hiyori slithered over the floor and came to a stop a few feet away from Ichigo and immediately began to glare at him.

"I want to speak to you Captain, so it's none of your business," he said and ducked afresh when Hiyori intended to kick him once again.

"Of course it is my business if you want to speak with my Captain, you idiot!" she yelled and crossed her arms over her chest.

Without another word she walked past him. Ichigo followed, and together they reached Kirio's office. Hiyori knocked and then entered without waiting for a reply.

"Captain Carrot wants to talk to you, Kirio-san," she said while entering and stepped aside to let and unnerved Ichigo pass as well. Kirio sighed and run a hand over her face as she was sitting behind her desk, a lot of paperwork still on it.

"How often do I have to tell you to treat the other Captain's with respect, Hiyori?" she asked. The addressed person looked away, her arms crossed over her chest and pouted without a reply. Kirio sighed again and turned towards her guest.

"What can I do for you Captain Kurosaki?" she asked. Ichigo's expression grew from tired and irritated to dead serious.

"I rather talk to you about it in private," he said and looked her in the eyes.

"Hiyori, would you excuse us for a moment?" she eventually said and turned towards her Lieutenant. Hiyori glared at Ichigo's back, but still left under the watchful eyes of her Captain without saying anything. The moment the door was closed, Kirio looked at Ichigo again.

"How do you know?" she asked him and leaned back in her chair. Ichigo walked towards the Desk and sat down on one of the chairs in front of it without an invitation.

"I had an early morning walk and accidentally got the little conversation you had," he said and leaned back as well, looking Kirio in the eyes. She returned his look but sighed once again, tuning halfway towards the window behind her.

"I don't know what to do," she confessed with a troubled look on her face.

"Do it," was her colleague's only reply.

She stayed silent for a while, thinking. "Why?" she eventually asked and turned back again.

"Because, if you turn down this offer, you will regret it someday. Maybe not tomorrow and maybe not in a year, but eventually you do. Chances like this don't come by very often, you know?" Ichigo replied.

"But it could also be that I will regret it when I accept this offer," she said and turned her head towards the door.

"Don't worry. Hiyori will be just fine. It's not as if she would be alone when you leave. I will take care of her and so will Shinji, and Kensei, and everyone else she is annoying, not to mention the _new_ Captain of the 12th Division," he said with a reassuring smile.

"You really want to get rid of me, don't you?" she said with a small smile.

"Of course! You are an old hag, and I never liked you! You never realized the small hints I gave you, so you finally get the message and leave?" Ichigo said in played aversion. A small laughter escaped Kirios lips, and she turned towards the window again.

"Don't worry. We will run this without you," he said. He stayed for a few more minutes before he stood up and prepared to leave.

"Oh! One last thing," Ichigo said and Kirio turned towards him, "don't tell Hiyori that I advised you to accept. My life would be a living hell and she would never ever speak a single word with me." He spoke in a pleading manner.

The female Captain smiled again and watched her colleague leaving. She stayed quiet for a minute, looking to the door before she stood up and walked to her window, the paperwork long forgotten, and began thinking.

* * *

The message of her 'resignation' the next day was unexpected for most Shinigami. Only the Captains knew that is wasn't an actual resignation but a promotion. When Yamamoto told them the next day during a Captain's meeting, none of them showed a visible reaction, though Ichigo saw surprise in most of his colleagues' eyes. Something like that didn't happen very often.

Ichigo would have liked to see his father one last time when he came to get Kirios answer, but he decided against it. It would just have hurt to be reminded of what he lost, though it was a huge motivation as well, for he was also reminded what he was fighting for.

But now came the annoying part. The selection of a new Captain. Yoruichi suggested Urahara to fill the place of a new Captain, and Ichigo had to come the next day for the Captains-Test. From now on he had to endure Urahara on a regular basis, and he actually hoped to have a few days of peace before he had to endure him.

At the moment Ichigo was taking a walk through Seireitei, his head spinning with the latest events. He knew that the time where Aizen would make his move came closer and closer, and the thought of it made him a little restless. What if he was still not strong enough? What if he made a mistake and came too late to prevent Shinji and the others to become hollowfied? What if his presence in this time-line changes the events so drastically that all of his knowledge about what was going to happen was totally useless?

Questions like this haunted his mind, and he hoped that the night sky and the fresh air would help him to let his thoughts calm down. He took a deep breath while he was walking on a roof. He didn't know in what part of Seireitei he was, but he didn't care. He didn't want to care about anything right now.

He let his sight sweep and saw a small figure sitting on one of the higher roof in front of him. When he came closer, he saw that it was Hiyori. She was looking at the moon, hugging her knees with a sad expression on her face.

"What's up midget?" Ichigo said when he stepped towards her. She turned around totally surprised and quickly turned around again, wiping over her eyes with her sleeve.

"None of your business," she said angrily. Ichigo sighed and sat down beside her, leaning back with the support of his arms.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked, but got no answer. Hiyori just looked forward with a stoic expression, but Ichigo saw right through her outer shell. She was hurt that her Captain, her mother figure, just left without telling her anything, not even a goodbye. He knew that Kirio did it to not change her decision. If she had seen her Lieutenants tears, she would have stayed.

He sighed and turned towards the moon again. It was a clear and bright night, the moon shining with an unusual intensity. He looked at it for a few minutes, thinking about what he could say to comfort the girl beside him when she was the first to talk.

"I miss her," she said quietly, and Ichigo was surprised that she was showing him her vulnerable side.

"I know," was everything he could say.

"What do _you_ know about something like this?" Hiyori snapped, turning towards him angrily. Ichigo responded with a passive expression, and she turned back with a click of her tongue. They stayed quiet for another few minutes.

"You know," he began, "I lost my mother when I was still a little kid."

Hiyori turned towards him in surprise. He never told anyone about his past, and now he actually revealed a more delicate part of it. Knowing that this was not an important moment for him (and for her, too) she stayed quiet.

"She died while she protected me from a Hollow. I blamed myself for it, and actually I _still_ blame myself for taking her away from my family," he said with an absent look in his eyes.

'_Aha! So he didn't only had a mother but a whole family'_ she thought, saving this information for later. "What happened to them?" she asked curiously. Ichigo stayed silent for a while, and Hiyori didn't push him.

"They all died," he said in a bitter tone. She could see the pain in his eyes, but at the same time she also saw an immense amount of hatred in them. She didn't say anything and looked back to the moon, knowing that her campaign would have to cope with this feeling once again. She was a little ashamed of her words earlier. He _did _knew the pain of losing one's mother, even the pain of losing the whole family.

Ichigo sighed and pushed the bitter memories aside. "I know that you are hurt because Kirio didn't tell you anything about her leaving, but I know that you were one of the most important persons in her life," he said and looked towards her.

She didn't say anything, just stared ahead. After a while a single tear slipped down her cheek which she furiously wiped away, looking grim and exclusive once again. They stayed like this for a while before Ichigo had to yawn again and began to stretch. He stood up and began to leave, but turned around one last time.

"By the way: Never tell anyone what I told you about me right now. Otherwise I will spread around that the mighty and tough Hiyori Sakuragi cried for her momma," he said grinning and jumped down the roof towards his own quarters.

"... shit," was everything Hiyori could say.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey there. I have the next chapter ready and I want to celebrate with you the wonderful fact that this story reached the 70 reviews level! Whooohooo! ( I integrated a few phrases from the manga in this chapter, some just like they are, some slightly different. I won't do this very often, actually I think this is an exception, but please still enjoy.**

**_to Mrs Ann_: I now that I sometimes write kind of sloppy. English is not my first language and I'm very thankful for any tips. I never thought that so many people would read this story when I published it, and I wouldn't have written the ending of the first chapter like this if would have found better words to describe it, so I will gratefully take your advice and will change it. And here I have a cookie for you because you were the 70th reviewer ^-^**

**_to all_: if you don't like a part of my story because it is badly written:tell me! otherwise I don't know how to improve and make this story even better. Anyways, please enjoy and review afterwards ;D**

**Anyways, thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing :) **

**I don't own Bleach and I don't make any profit with this story**

Shinji hated the regular Captain's meetings, but what he hated even more were the Captain's meetings Yamamoto set up when something special happened. For being summoned to one of those meetings because of the selection of a new Captain was something for which he hated Kirio Hikifune. Not that he _seriously_ hated her, he just disliked it that she went away without thinking about how much he would hate the meetings he had to attend because of her leaving.

Another thing he hated because of this special meeting (and the regular one's as well) was this new guy, Kenpachi Zaraki. Not only was this guy a total lunatic, no, he even wanted to fight with every single Captain of the Gotei 13, but Shinji really had no desire to do so.

Nonetheless, he was a reliable Captain, and as such he was bound to attend those seemingly endless hours of mental torture. His only comfort was Jazz. He loved Jazz. It was cool, had character, and was totally stylish. Just like him.

He just heard his favorite record while he put on his white haori when his Lieutenant, Sousuke Aizen, came into his room, telling him that the meeting was soon to begin. Pah! As if Shinji didn't know already. This guy always had this stick up his ass. Shinji was fonder of the snappy kind of people than the uptight ones. Another reason why he didn't like his Lieutenant.

"I told ya to wear something more swank and snappy," Shinji said when he turned around, looking towards his deputy.

"Well, it's not as if the nomination of a new Captain is something like a Gala, so my clothes aren't as informal as you implied," Aizen replied. "What is this music anyways?"

"Pretty sweet, huh? It's called Jazz and is the new big thing in the living world," he said, although he had no intentions to chit-chat with the other man. He still hoped that Aizen wouldn't get suspicious of him while he kept him close...

"It doesn't seem very trendy, to be honest..." Aizen said, but got soon interrupted by his Captain.

"That's cuz you ain't as hip and cool as me," Shinji said and left his own room. They didn't talk the whole way to the 1st Division. Shinji never liked that building. The door was so _big,_ and the amount of reiatsu old man Yamamoto emitted when he summoned the Captains sent some chills down his spine whenever he came near this place. He really never wanted to get on the man's bad side.

He told his Lieutenant so when they stood in front of the absurdly big door, and he had a convenient answer for him, just like always. Another reason why he didn't like his deputy.

"You've never been the nervous type of guy, furthermore, it is plain as day that you simply want to wiggle out of this meeting," Aizen said with the ever-present smile on his face.

"As if you could even see my face from over there," Shinji shot back and promptly got kicked into his face, but not from his own Lieutenant, but by the official little terror of the Gotei 13.

"My bad you stinkin' baldy! I confused your face with the door mat!" Hiyori commented on her assault while Shinji was slithering over the courtyard of the 1st Division. Before he could even shoot back a reply, someone smacked his assaulter over the head.

"Quit being so annoying and apologize to your superior," the newly arrived Ichigo said while he glared at the young Lieutenant. She just glared at him.

"Make me!" she said and raised her head, trying to make herself a little bigger while she unpacked her best intimidating gaze. Ichigo smirked and bent down to whisper something into her ear. Hiyori tensed immediately, and her eyes grew wide in terror. Ichigo straightened up again, still smirking, while the little terror stood there like a statue.

"Wow... What did you said to the pipsqueak?" Shinji asked when he got up again and began pricking her, but got no reaction. He never saw someone except Kirio tame the girl like _this_. The only reply he got was an "it's a secret" and a vicious smile from his colleague. Now that he saw it Shinji didn't really want to know what Ichigo told her.

"Hey, who made this statue of Hiyory?" someone asked from behind them. Love Aigawa just came down the hallway of the 1th Division, his sunglasses not hiding his curiosity.

"Captain Kurosaki did some creepy stuff to her, Sir. I wonder what he was telling her for her to become like _this_," Aizan informed the new arrival. Ichigo instantly glared at him.

"You are the creepy one here," he replied while he snapped his fingers in front of Hiyori's face, waking her up from her paralysis. She immediately punched Shinji who was still poking her.

"I'm not going to apologize to this baldy!" she snapped and wanted to run after the 5th Captain, but Ichigo stopped her by holding her back by her collar.

"If you don't apologized than at least don't start a new fight," he said annoyed.

"But he's making this faces of his again! Do you see that? I swear I will kick his ass! This will get ugly!" Hiyori roared while she tried to get out of Ichigo's death grip. In the meanwhile Shinji was pulling faces at her, teasing her for not being able to beat him again.

"A role model as always Captain," his Lieutenant commented cynically. Ichigo cast him a glare before he made his way into the 1st Division, pulling Hiyori inside behind him, still grabbing her collar, followed by Love.

Lazily Shinji went after them, seemingly totally uninterested. But inside his head he was thinking.

He noticed it for a while now. Whenever Aizen said or did anything, even if it was as insignificant as it could be, Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes followed him no matter what, always with this observatory gaze. But now that he thought about it, he noticed that this 'observing' was always present.

When Shinji introduced his new Lieutenant to the Captains, he instantly saw the aversion in Ichigo's eyes. At first he thought that the orange haired Captain simply couldn't stand Aizen, but with the time he noticed that he was observing his deputy as much as Shinji himself did, maybe even harder.

Maybe he could feel it? Maybe Ichigo could feel that something was off with Aizen? Shinji got this gut feeling a while ago that something was odd with the man and made him his second in command, only to keep a close eye on him, but it seems that the 5th Division Captain was not the only suspicious one in Soul Society. But there was still some more to it. It wasn't just suspicion or aversion in Ichigo's eyes when he looked at Aizen. There was more, but so well hidden that Shinji nearly didn't saw that it was there.

Hatred. Pure and utter hatred.

He didn't know what made Ichigo hate Aizen so much, but so much Shinji knew: As long as two Captains were keeping an eye on Aizen, less can go wrong when the shit hits the fan one day. And a lot of shit will happen, Shinji just _knew_ it.

They went down the corridor of the 1st Division silently. But Shinji was never the one who could keep quiet for a long time.

"Does the new Captain of the 11th freak you out as much as me?" he asked to no one in particular. He just wanted to make a little chit-chat.

"Yeah, but there is nothing we could do about it. The Kenpachi always held the position of the 11th Division Captain. Stuff like this won't change overnight, as much as we want to," Love answered his question cool as always.

"He freaks me out a lot. When I visited him a few days ago, he attacked me out of fun. Totally crazy that guy," Ichigo said, still pulling a struggling Hiyori by her collar.

"But you could have defeated him easily, isn't that right Captain Kurosaki?" Aizen commented. Ichigo turned his head around to look at him. Again Shinji saw the aversion in his colleague's eyes.

"Stop kissing my ass Aizen," Ichigo said and turned his head around again.

"Awwww, why do you have to always be so mean to our little Sousuke?" Shinji heard someone say behind him. He turned around and saw Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku with his Lieutenant come up the way they just came from.

"None of your business," the orange-head said while he waited for the new arrivals to catch up to them.

"Hell must be frozen over. You are actually on time Shunsui," Love stated while the aforementioned Captain made an innocent face.

"I wonder if Hikifune-san is getting along with her new Division," Ukitake asked himself and sighed, obviously worried for her former colleague.

"We are goin' through Captain's quicker than toilet paper. It ain't been more than a year since Rose got his promotion as the 3rd Division Captain, and now this new guy is taking over the 12th," Shinji complained a little worried. "Hopefully this whole flux won't change the Gotei 13."

"You just have to go with the flow Shinji-kun," Shunsui said behind him. "New blood is always important. You have to stop resisting the flow of time. I mean, the only Captains left from the original guard a hundred years ago is the old man, Ukitake, Ichigo-kun, and myself," he said while counting his fingers.

"I think you forgot Unohana-san," Ukitake said, which was the reason for Shunsui to freak out, fearing the female Captain's wrath if she found out he forgot about her.

"Ahem... Like I was saying," the lazy Captain continued, "A year ago the 3rd Division Captain retired. Now Hikifune-san is being promoted and not too long ago the former Captain of the 11th Division was killed. Things are just progressing nicely."

"Promotion?" asked a voice behind Shinji. He turned around and saw his Lieutenant with a curious expression walking behind him.

"Hey! Sousuke!" Shinji censured him. He dared eavesdropping on two Captain's conversation!

"Ahhh, my humble apologies Captain, I did not mean to eavesdrop," Aizen said. Shinji snorted. In front of him, he heard Ichigo mumble a 'As if' comment under his breath, and the 5th Division's Captain could only agree.

"It's alright Sousuke. No need to be so formal. Go ahead and ask away," Shunsui, and in the following even explained the promotion of Captains into the Royal Guard to him. Shinji wanted to hit his colleague for being so oblivious to the situation. Didn't he see that Aizen was planning something? And here he stood and explained one of the inner secrets of Captaincy to this... this... this bootlicker!

Shinji looked ahead and saw that Ichigo as well seemed to dislike this exchange of information. His scowl was even deeper than usual. The situation though was interrupted when Kensei walked in and informed them that the new guy was showing up. Finally!

They quickly stood in formation. When the new Captain was coming then Yamamoto wasn't far away either. Shortly after, the huge door slit open and revealed the newest member of the Captains. Shinji's first question was how Yoruichi could have nominated someone like this, but when he thought about it, if he would go with this criteria he himself wouldn't be a Captain either.

"This guy looks like he is a few cans short of a six-pack," he said instead. He knew nobody would understand his comment for nobody knew what a six-pack was in the first place. To his surprise he saw that Ichigo was looking at him with a small smile on his lips. Sometimes the 5th Division Captain thought that this guy knew more than he wanted anyone to know...

Shinji heard Aizen mumble something behind him, and he knew that the auburn-haired man calculated how this new Captain was fitting into his plan, whatever it might be. Shinji as well began to think. Maybe he could use this Urahara guy against his Lieutenant...

Before he could think further Yamamoto made his entry by giving the new guy a painful hustle with his cane. Though the 11th Captain was still absence nobody was going to miss him. Most of the Captains wished he would never show up again.

"From now on let's continue with the promotion ceremony," the old man said and just like with the door a cold shiver run down Shinji's back.

And with that this whole torturing official jabbering began, about Hikifune's promotion, about the suggestion of Yoruichi, and the fact that the new guy, Kisuke Urahara, was tested and determined worthy, blah blah. Seriously, if he wouldn't have been acceptable Shinji wouldn't stand here right now in one of his hated special meetings!

He looked towards the space where the 12th Division Captain usually stood and found Hiyori glaring at her new superior. Shinji would have snickered if he wouldn't pity the poor Urahara so much for being her new Captain. This would get funny.

Aizen didn't listen to the words the Captain-Commander had to say. He was much busier to watch this Kisuke Urahara. Although he looked insecure and a little dense, Aizen saw the intelligence in this man's eyes. This guy was by no means stupid, and he calculated if he could be a danger to his plan. Aizen worked too hard for this to work out to fall apart because of a fellow like this.

Aizen's other occupation was to observe Ichigo Kurosaki. Ever since they first met this man had an eye on him. Maybe even both. At first Aizen was surprised that Kurosaki wasn't taken in by his charisma. He thought that it was just pure antipathy. Kurosaki just couldn't stand him.

But then he saw something in this man's eyes that he couldn't quite place. Hatred.

Aizen didn't know what the reason for it was, but it always saw it when the orange-haired Captain was looking at him. He didn't know the reason, and thus couldn't do something against it.

Maybe he knew that Aizen was planning something, just like his own Captain Shinji Hirako. But this still couldn't explain the strong negative feelings. Aizen always thought of himself to be an intelligent man, yes, even a genius, but this Ichigo Kurosaki was a mystery to him.

He searched for him in every archive that existed. He even went into the living world a few times to look into some death records (which were a rather desperate attempt to get information).

Nothing.

Information was power, but Aizen had no information about this man, and thus felt unusual powerless. He looked at the orange-haired man. He stood there calm as ever, a trademark scowl on his face. Aizen looked him into the eyes, but couldn't see anything. Usually he would have been able to see a bit of a person in their eyes. If they were lazy, determined, smart, gentle, cold. He saw determination in Kurosakis eyes, and he saw that this man went through some things in his life, but Aizen didn't know _what_! What made this guy hate him so much?! Where did he come from? What was his history? And the most important question: How strong was this man really?

Nobody except the Captain-Commander ever saw this man's real strength. There were no records about his Bankai or his swords special abilities. Though he released his Shikai a few times it seemed to be based on pure strength than Kido or an elemental power. Aizen knew his speed and the minimal level of his Kido. But not the _full_ extent of his powers!

It rankled Aizen that he knew so little about him. He knew that he was drinking something with Kyoraku and Shihoin, that Retsu Unohana was one of the few people he respected, and that he liked the literature of William Shakespeare, but all of this was worthless.

Aizen looked at Ichigo Kurosaki one last time before the meeting was over. He had to keep a close watch on him...


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm sooooooooooo sorry for the late update, so I will let you read the chapter now with no further ado, but I have to warn you to not expect too much.**

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing**

**Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo**

Ichigo sat in the cool night air, watching how Urahara sat on the terrace of his new Division. He was unsure what to do next. When he laid eyes on Urahara as a Captain, he involuntarily remembered the last time he saw him in his own time-line, which together with the appearance of his father made him feel homesick.

Yeah, it sounded sappy and after a hundred years he should have been over it, but the way he lost his family, his friends, and at the end his home as well just made the wound the occurred that fateful day even deeper and more haunting. The Urahara who now sat silently on his terrace was his only chance back home.

But what if his actions _here_ wouldn't change anything in his own time-line? What if, even if he now was able to defeat Aizen, it would all be in vain? What if he traveled back into the future, and everything was still the same? For hundred years he didn't think about such scenarios, and now these questions didn't want to leave his mind.

A new figure's movement ripped Ichigo out of his thoughts. In the dark he saw how Shinji seemed to pay Urahara a late visit. From the Shinji in his Ichigo knew that he was always suspicious of Aizen's actions, which led him to make him his deputy, and Ichigo was actually really grateful for it. When Ichigo had to explain his appearance and his reasons for a possible attack against Aizen one day, he would have a Captain who would back him up in his accusation against him.

Ichigo's eyes wandered over the meadow and caught a glimpse of the man he despised more than anything. He stood there like the world already belonged to him. Ichigo knew that, although Aizen didn't hide, no one would be able to see him unless he wanted it, thanks to his Zanpakuto.

When Aizen became a Lieutenant everyone, every Captain and every fellow deputy was interested in his abilities, so he showed them. Which made every high ranked Shinigami in Soul Society his puppets. Ichigo always avoided seeing Aizens sword, and even more its ability, for it was his only hope in defeating this man. But no one else was aware of the hypnosis they lay under. Shinji caught a glimpse of it, but it wasn't enough to do something against it. No one could.

Annoyed of this Aizen's eavesdropping, Ichigo jumped down from the roof he was currently sitting on and stepped towards the two talking Captains. "It may interest you two that your conversation is no longer private," he said while he walked on.

Urahara and Shinji looked up to him. "And what reason could there be for you to listen to our little chat? Don't say that you felt lonely and missed us," Shinji said, a little amused over his own little joke.

"Ohhh, I didn't mean me," Ichigo said and reached out with his hand, focusing his reiatsu in it and ripping the veil of illusion Aizen created around himself into pieces. Ichigo was no fool. He knew that he was only able to reveal Aizen to the other because the illusion wasn't as powerful as it could be, for Aizen still tried to look harmless and unthreatening to the ones who may be suspicious of him. Ichigo could only rip the illusion because Aizen wanted it.

Surprise could be seen on Urahara' face, though Shinji looked more annoyed than confused, "If you want to spy on someone, then do it better Sousuke."

"You noticed it, too, Captain?" Aizen asked and stepped out of his illusion. "Since when?"

"Since you were in your momma's womb," Shinji just said and looked the auburn-haired man directly into his eyes, showing him that, if he ever made a wrong move, he would be there to kick his ass.

He sighed. "Come Sousuke, we're going," he said while he was already walking away to his own Division, nodding towards Ichigo when their eyes met. Ichigo looked after them for a while.

"And why were you here Kurosaki-san? Did you want to give me an advice, too?" Urahara said to him after a while. Ichigo turned around innocently, no trace of his earlier dark thoughts concerning a certain individual.

"Ohhh no. I just went for a walk. I can't sleep well lately, and I happened to come along," he said smiling and waved the blonde man off. Urahara frowned, but didn't question any further. Waving his goodbye Ichigo turned around leaving, but still aware of the measuring look the other man was giving him.

* * *

Gin was walking through the clean hallway of his new Division while some of the Shinigami's were looking at him curiously. It didn't happen very often that someone with no noble background was finishing the Shinigami Academy in only a single year. Many of his fellow classmates were intimidated, scared, and some were even angry for they weren't as good as him. Because of that he never had any friends in the past year, but that was okay with him. He was a loner and didn't need any friends.

He walked past a corner into the next corridor where someone told him, was the office of the Captain where he had to register himself. He hoped it was no sissy or some lazy idiot. He needed a superior from whom he could learn something, someone he could make understand that this Aizen guy was a threat, not only to the people of Rukongai, but for all of Soul Society.

Gin had no time for unneeded obstacles. He needed to protect Matsumoto. Since the disappearances in Rukongai he had the feeling that it wouldn't stop there. Whatever was causing these incidents was aiming for something bigger. And since he saw this Aizen he knew that he was behind all this. The words of the mysterious man afterwards in the small barrack he was sharing with Matsumoto back than just confirmed his guess. Still he didn't know who this man was...

Gin stopped in front of the office door. He inhaled deep and put on his trademark grin which creeped the shit out of most people. Then he knocked. At first nothing happened, but then he heard footsteps from behind the door. In the next moment the door was opened from a Shinigami with glasses.

"Yes?" the man asked. Gin's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"My name is Gin Ichimaru. I come from the Academy and was assigned to this Division."

The other man looked at him appraisingly, and even a little surprised, but still stepped aside to let Gin enter. He stepped into the office, and while he was walking past the older man he noticed the badge on his left upper arm, marking him as a Lieutenant. When he was inside, Gin let his gaze wander through the office. It had little furniture, but still looked comfortable.

A coffee table was put in the middle for two sofas, and a bookshelf stood in the left side of the room next to the seating-accommodations. The desk stood on the right side, and, on the wall opposite the door, light shone through three windows.

"The Captain is coming in any moment. You can sit down and wait for him until he arrives," the Lieutenant said and left the room. Curiously Gin stepped towards the bookshelf and inspected the titles in hope to get a little insight of the man who will become his superior. To his surprise some of the books were written in another language. Whether his new Captain would be an intelligent man or a hopeless imposer, he couldn't decide on.

"Interesting?" someone asked behind him. Short-taken Gin turned around, one hand on his Zanpakuto. In front of him, a man leaned on the door frame which led to the office, just as if he stood there for ages, waiting for the young Shinigami to finish already. But what shocked Gin the most was his hair.

Orange.

Gin only met one man with orange hair, and when he looked closer, he remembered him as the mysterious man he met one year ago.

"Yes. It's quite interesting," Gin replied unwavering, his expression the same as before. The man just smirked and walked into the room, his white haori waving behind him while he walked to his desk.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, the Captain of the 10th Division, and _your_ new Captain," he said and sat down in his chair. He looked at Gin for a moment, his smile vanishing and being replaced with a scowl.

"It was not easy for me to get you into my Division," he continued on after a while and picked up a piece of paper that lay in front of him. He waved Gin closer while he inspected it, and the young Shinigami obeyed. Somehow he was relieved. No idiot as a Captain, no superior he had to explain the upcoming threat.

"I was lucky that I knew that you were going into the Academy, so I could make an application to the headmaster that you would be assigned into my Division after you graduate. When the other Captains heard that a prodigy was graduating after only a single year, they nearly ripped my head off for me being faster than them," Ichigo explained, shuddering a little at the last part. He wrote something down on the piece of paper in his hand, then looked up.

"Next came a bureaucratic nightmare for me. But at the end I won," he finished, a smirk back on his face. He took the sheet and gave it to Gin. "This is another bureaucratic necessity. You have to sign this so the ones in the archive know that you belong to the 10th Division," Ichigo said and handed a pen to Gin.

He in return just looked at the paper and the pen, then to Ichigo. "You are doing something, aren't you? Because if you don't, I'm doing it on my own," he said and looked his new Captain straight in the eyes. Ichigo looked back determined.

"I will do everything, even if it costs me my life."

Gin looked at him for a while, searching in the other man's face any sign for any sign of irresolution or lay. Eventually he nodded and signed the paper, returning pen and sheet back to his Captain.

Ichigo grinned. "Welcome in the 10th Division."

**A/N: It's terrible! This chapter is lame and sloppy and short and just terrible! I had a lot to do lately. First of all I had to write two classtests this week and I write another two next week. Furthermore my sister left to study in Bavaria and I miss her terribly *sniff*. But the main reason why this chapter is so bad is: I had no idea what to write!** **Though I know what should happen when Aizen tries to hollowfy the Captains and so on, I have no idea what to write in the time between now and then, and I can't just skip ten years! If anyone of you has an idea what could happen in this ten years, TELL ME! PLEASE! I thought about Ichigo training Gin so he can become his Lieutenant, but that's already everything that comes to my mind. Every idea is welcome.**

**Furthermore I wanted to answer some questions concerning the pairing: I have no intention to make a pairing and I'm sorry if this disappoints some of you.**

**P.S.: Everyone who recognised whose style I used to create the surrogate-Lieutenant gets a cookie ^-^**

**P.P.S.: The 100th reviewer is: 10th Squad 3rd Seat. An extra cookie just for you ^-^**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Next chapter guys! Thanks to your lovely reviews and your gorgeous ideas tons of plot bunnies were jumping around in my head, so I was really quick to write the new chapter. Thank you guys! ^_^ But I also want to thank a special person. Reviewer no. 141: ShiroHichi891. Your review was the most encouraging someone ever said (or wrote) to me, and I want to thank you for it. It gave me a great boost to my self-esteem.**

**If you folks like you can write me your ideas or what you imagine for the series. It gives me a lot of ideas for the further plot. ^-^**

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing**

**Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo**

"…Lection number one: Never make Captain Unohana angry," Ichigo told Gin while they were walking through the streets of Seireitei. Gin looked at him questioningly.

"Why?" he asked. Ichigo looked at him impish.

"Haaaaaa, innocence. You will know why when you see it," he just said and shuddered. They walked on, and Gin began to stare at some mighty buildings, some beautiful gardens, and towards the only mountain in the walls of Seireitei.

"Ahhhh, you noticed Sokyoku Hill," Ichigo said when he noticed Gin's gaze. "On this hill people who are sentenced to death are executed," he explained.

Gin looked at the hill meditative. "Aizen will die on that hill as well," he said after a while. It was not a question, but a promise. Ichigo just nodded and walked on. "What are we doing anyways?" the younger Shinigami asked after a while.

Ichigo smirked. "I introduce you to the people who could help us with our little problem," he said cryptically. No one of them said something after that, until they heard two voiced argue with each other.

"This is a dead-end! I thought you knew the way!"

"I _do_ know the way, you just took the wrong turn!"

"I walked exactly the way you told me!"

Ichigo and Gin walked closer towards the voices until they reached the entry of the street they came out from. When they looked around the corner, they saw a giant of a man argue with a little girl.

"Lection number two: Never get too close to Captain Zaraki if you don't have to. And to any other members of the 11th Division. And their barracks. Just stay away from everything concerning the number 11 in general," Ichigo explained further and turned around, eager to get away.

"There he is!" he heard someone shout behind him. Ichigo had just enough time to jump out of the way and grab Gin in the process before something heavy crashed down on the place he stood a second ago.

When he landed on the ground again, he saw Kenpachi standing in a cloud of dust, grinning like a maniac. "See? I led you directly to Ichi!" Yachiru babbled and jumped down from his shoulder, searching a secure place to watch her beloved Captain fighting.

"The man I was searching for," Kenpachi said grinning.

"Poor me," Ichigo sighed and unsheathed Zangetsu from his back.

"Ehhhrm, Captain?" Gin asked, his eyes (if you could call slits eyes) captured by the growing aura of reiatsu from the man in front of him.

"Yeah?"

"Are they idiots?" he asked forthright.

"You have great power of observation, Gin. Keep going by watching me fight. If this idiot is going to attack me again, then I can as well take the chance to teach you something," Ichigo said and charged.

"Always be the first one to attack! Otherwise the enemy can prepare his own attack" he shouted over his shoulder, trying to predominant the insane laughter Kenpachi was emitting while he was attacking. Metal clashed at metal, and sparks were flying while the two fighters mercilessly raised their swords against each other. Kenpachi stuck out to deliver a particularly heavy blow, ginning like a lunatic, but Ichigo took the chance and moved a hit to his side when he was yielding. The cut was shallow, but still bled heavily.

"Never let your guard down. Take every opening you can find, and step after step you will defeat you enemy," Ichigo lectured Gin while Kenpachi was already in front of the other Captain. Again he struck Ichigo with heavy blows, but like the last time he dodged each one of them.

"Never attack bluntly. Intelligence and Concentration are mighty powers in a fight," Ichigo went on and ducked under Kenpachi's swing, slashing his sword upwards and delivering a cut once again. He jumped to the side, avoiding the other man's sword quickly.

"Not everyone who looks strong is actually strong and vice versa. Captain Yoruichi or her bodyguard Soi Fon are the best examples for this. Though they look delicate and weak they can kick everyone's ass to next Friday. So never judge an opponent by his appearance," Ichigo said when he blocked a fist that was directed to his face with his left hand, dodging a swing with his sword with Zangetsu in his other one.

"Never make your enemy angry. It just makes them more and more inscrutable," he said while he ducked and jumped to avoid getting hit. Seeing an opening he charged again, adding another wound to his opponent's body. Ichigo jumped back and landed beside Gin once again without a single scratch, not even being out of breath.

"You have to analyze your opponent, so you know when he will make a mistake or when the moment comes you have to retreat," he finished and sheathed his sword.

"Oh no! You won't run away again!" Kenpachi yelled and charged once again. Ichigo quickly hooked Gin under his arm and jumped on a nearby building.

"It was nice meeting you again, but me and my little friend here have to leave now. I bet we will see each other sooner than I would like!" he said and shunpoed away, leaving an angry Kenpachi behind.

"He does that every time," he murmured angrily while Yachiru came back and jumped onto his shoulder.

"We can go after them, you just have to go this way!" she shouted enthusiastically. With that they went off into the totally opposite direction.

A few miles away, Ichigo came to a halt in front of a huge gate. He let Gin down again and sighed in relieve. "That was close," he said and smiled into the direction they came from, happy to have escaped another all-outfight with the lunatic Captain.

"Does this happen often?" Gin asked.

"From time to time, yes. Up until now I was able to get away before he got all out, but it keeps me on my toes," he said and turned towards the huge gate. On a signboard above it stood 'Shinigami Research and Development Institute'.

"What are they developing in here?" Gin asked while they stepped inside. Ichigo just shrugged his shoulders.

"Nobody really knows, but we take bets on what kind of plan they come up with to take over the world. Zombies or helmets that link into your brain and control your mind?" Ichigo said with a smirk, leading the way through the dark and gloomy corridors. Though Gin didn't feel comfortable he didn't show it, keeping the ever-present smile on his face, even when he felt the building shook and he heard a loud explosion.

After a while they reached an inconspicuous looking door with the sign 'Main Laboratory'. Ichigo knocked on the door. They heard a muffled "Come in" form inside and opened the door. Inside was the pure chaos. Smoke was filling the air and gadgets were lying all over the floor, some destroyed, others simply on allotted around the room. Gin had an idea where the explosion earlier happened...

"Ahhh, Kurosaki-san! What do I owe this visit?" a voice was asking from inside the smoke. Shortly after the Captain of the 12th Division was stepping out of it, coughing a little.

"I just wanted to make sure you're still alive," Ichigo said scowling. "What did you blew up this time?"

"Ohhh, just myself," Urahara said with a smile. Again Gin had the impression that the man in front of him was an idiot, though this time he wasn't so sure, remembering his own Captain's words during his fight.

"Lection number three: Captain Urahara is a little crazy, so don't take him too serious," Ichigo said. Urahara just smile over the 'crazy'-comment and went to a window to open it. Behind them the door was opening again. In came an uninterested looking Mayuri Kurotsuchi, carrying a package in his arms.

"What are this little bugs doing here?" he asked and put the package on a still standing table, not caring about the state the room was in.

"Lection number five: Never make Kurotsuchi interested in you, no matter what. It could be your last self-conscious action," Ichgio whispered to Gin, obviously not wanting the scientist's attention.

"Number five? What about number four?" Gin asked. Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but in that moment he was flying straight though the room. In the place he just stood was now a girl with pigtails and freckles.

"Got you, you freaking carrot head!" Hiyori said smiling, putting her leg back onto the floor. She turned her head and noticed the still smiling Gin looking towards his knocked down Captain. "And who the hell are you, albino?" she asked angrily.

"That was a really nice kick, you know?" Gin said, avoiding the question. Hiyori glared at him, but he didn't stir a muscle. Eventually, she turned away with a click of her tongue. The younger Shinigami then walked to his Captain who was still lying on the floor and kneeled beside him.

"Lection number four: Never get on Hiyori's bad side," Ichigo murmured and began to stand up.

"Is this the prodigy everyone was making a ruckus of?" Urahara said beside them, looking Gin over interested.

"Prodigy? This little brat should be a prodigy?" Hiyori shouted behind him and elbowed her Captain out of the way to have a look at the young Shinigami once again.

"Who are you calling a brat? You are just 4'4" yourself," Ichigo said and quickly received a punch in the face, knocking him down again.

Her eyes wandered over Gin, her face changed into what should resemble a calculating frown. At his face she stopped. Again Gin didn't move a muscle, keeping up the confrontation with her gaze.

"...You are spooky, you know that?" Hiyori said after a while. Gin's smile just grew larger.

Hiyori took a few steps away from him, forming a cross with her fingers in front of her. "Get away from me you freak! You are nearly as creepy as Mayuri when he goes into his crazy-scientist-mode." Kurotsuchi just clicked with his tongue at this comment, being used to his Lieutenant's insults.

"Now that you mentioned it," Ichigo said when he was straightened up again, "you still didn't tell me what blew up in here."

"I tried to optimize the flow of power I was giving a new invention of mine," Urahara said. "With this invention I may be able to raise the limit of a Shinigami's power," he explained.

Ichigo's expression darkened immediately. "Too much power is a dangerous thing, especially in the wrong hands," he said, looking Urahara straight in the eyes. The other Captain returned his gaze with the same serious expression. Nobody said anything, even Mayuri felt the sudden tension that was building inside the room.

Hiyori in return looked quite pissed. "What are you two doing? Interchanging your thoughts through telepathy? What the hell are you talking about?" she yelled and stomped with her feet.

Ichigo looked at Urahara one last time and turned around towards the door. "Gin, we are going. See ya Urahara," he said and waved over his shoulder. Gin soon followed, casting one last look towards the other Captain who was now trying to get out of Hiyori's death grip around his neck.

Again no one of them said a word. Gin knew exactly what his Captain meant with too much power in the wrong hands, and he believed that even Urahara knew what kind of threat could result out of it.

"Who's next" he asked the man in front of him.

"The Captain of the 5th Division, Shinji Hirako," Ichigo answered.

"The guy who made Aizen his Lieutenant?" Gin asked surprised.

"Exactly. You know what they say: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

"So this Hirako fellow knows what Aizen is up to?"

"... Not exactly. He knows that something's up, but he doesn't know anything specific," Ichigo said with a frown.

"And you do?" Gin asked. Ichigo hesitated, but nodded.

"How?" was Gin's next question, but Ichigo said nothing. He just walked out of the building and back into the streets of Seireitei.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said eventually. Gin looked at his back suspiciously. He knew that his Captain was keeping his sources a secret, but they were on the same side, weren't they? So why wouldn't he tell him?

He didn't utter his questions out loud, but kept them in the back of his mind for now. They walked on silently, and somehow they ended up in front of the gate to the 5th Division. Ichigo stepped forth, but before he could knock and announce his coming the gate was already opening.

"It is nice to meet you, Captain Kurosaki," Aizen said after let his guests enter his Division's grounds. Again Gin didn't move a muscle, but inside of him a storm was rampaging. This was the guy was the greatest threat to Soul Society in the last hundred years. This man was the mastermind behind a deathly and destructive plan which wouldn't only kill most or even every Shinigami but the people of Rukongai as well. This man stood right in front of him, so why doesn't he do anything against him?

"It's like I always say: You are creepy Aizen," the voice of his Captain ripped him out of his stupor. Ichigo looked calm and collected, although even he couldn't hide the anger ant antipathy that was present in his expression and inflection. Quickly Gin got a hold on his feelings again, though nothing of it was shown on his face.

"The Captain is in his office if you wanted to see him," Aizen said with a smile. Then his gaze wandered to Ichigo's side. "Ohhh, is that the little prodigy everyone is so riled up with?" he asked with happy surprise.

Gin gave the man his most creepy smile. "Gin Ichimaru, Sir," he said and bowed slightly. Aizen just smiled and bowed as well.

"You done yet?" Ichigo asked impatiently. Aizen smiled at him and signed them to follow him. Silently they walked through the hallways of the 5th Division, everyone greeting their Lieutenant and the guest-Captain on their way. Gin had to give him that: He was a good actor. If he wouldn't know that this man was up to something, than he wouldn't have suspected him. He prided himself to be quite good in deceiving his fellow-men, Matsumoto and his Captain being the only ones who were able to look through him up until now, but the man leading them the way better. Greatly.

"Here we are," Aizen said and stopped in front of the Captain's office. He knocked and a muffled voice ordered them to come in. They opened the door, and as soon as Shinji saw Ichigo's orange mop of hair he jumped up from his chair and onto his desk.

"You!" he shouted and pointed accusingly with his forefinger at Ichigo. "You stole my prodigy!"

Gin looked at the other Captain confused. HIS prodigy? Ichigo smirked mischievously. "First come, first served," he said. Shinji's head looked ready to explode.

"If you wouldn't have hand in this application than he would have been assigned to my Division! You cheated!" Shinji ranted and stamped with the foot on his desk. Realization slowly dawned on him. He casted a sideway look on Aizen who stood beside his Captain's desk and tried to get his superior down again.

When Shinji was sitting on his chair again, he sighed and rested his head on his left, accepting the cup of tea his Lieutenant was giving him. "Soo, what do you want?" he asked after he took a sip.

"I just wanted to rub MY prodigy under your nose," Ichigo said smirking, quickly avoiding the cup of tea that was flying towards his head. Deciding it was time to retreat, he grabbed Gin under his arm and sprinted down the corridor he came from.

"Go away and never come back you damn cheater!" Shinji screamed behind them, held back by his deputy. When Ichigo and Gin were out of the gate once again, he let the young Shinigami down smirking.

"It's always fun to mess with him," he said.

"Don't you have any wise advice concerning him?" Gin asked.

"... No. At least nothing you couldn't figure out just now," his Captain said and began to walk down the road.

"As far as I could see actually every Captain is an idiot in one way or the other," Gin remarked.

"What did I say earlier? Never judge someone by his appearance," the orange-head said. "Now that I mention it: How about we continue the little lesson we started?" he asked and smiled at Gin.

The young Shinigami frowned. "You don't want to go to Captain Zaraki, do you?" he asked warily.

"Not in a thousand years I will go to this lunatic on my own free will!" Ichigo said with a horrified expression. "No. We will go to a special training ground I know," he finished and walked towards Sokyoku Hill.

After half of the way Gin saw the fourth person with a white haori this day. His white hair was held back with a hair-band, and someone who looked remarkable like Ichigo followed him. When the white-haired man saw them he gave them a genuine smile. "Kurosaki-kun! What a coincidence!"

Ichigo smiled, too. "Indeed. What could have led you so close to Yama-jii's office!" he asked and a sly expression mixed with his smile.

The smile on the other man's face grew wider. "I could finally convince Kaien-kun to become my Lieutenant!" he said and pointed at the Ichigo-look-alike behind him.

Said man sighed in annoyance. "I suppose you can't say no forever," he said, sighing again.

Gin looked at him, and then at his own Captain. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything both turned their head towards him with and annoyed look on their faces.

"Don't," they merely said. Gin looked at him confused, but then the other Captain leaned down to him with a smirk.

"I already asked. They are not related. They hate being asked that, just like Kurosaki-kun with his hair colour. I'm Jushiro Ukitake by the way," he said and reached out his hand. Gin accepted it and shook it.

"Gin Ichimaru," he greeted him. Ukitake's eyes widened in recognition.

"Ahhhhh, the prodigy. Well, you can be happy to have such a good Captain like Kurosaki-kun as your superior," he said and smiled at Ichigo. "Despite the majority, I'm not mad at him. It's no use to cry over spilt milk."

"Matter aside, you seriously call Captain-Commander Yamamoto 'Yama-jii' and still live?" Kaien put in curiously. Suddenly Ichigo seemed to remember something. He turned towards his own subordinate.

"Lection number six: Never mess with Yamamoto. It could be the last thing you could do in your live," he said seriously. Gin tilted his head.

"And why are you doing it, Sir?" he asked.

"Because I'm older, and I can handle him better than you do," Ichigo replied annoyed.

"Sooooo, when I'm older I can mess with him, too?" Gin asked curiously. Ichigo wanted to reply something, but got interrupted by Ukitake before he could say a single word.

"Don't get nonsense in the boy's head, Kurosaki-kun! Otherwise he might actually do some of it!" he said with a worried smile on his face.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulder. "Fine. Well, we have to go. See you later Ukitake," he said with a smile and waved his colleague goodbye, followed by a smiling Gin.

"Lection number seven: If you have any problems when I'm not there, go to Ukitake. He is nice and will help you," he said with a smiled down on his subordinate. Gin nodded and followed his Captain down the road towards the forest beneath Sokyoku Hill. They walked around it and after quite a while Ichigo ordered Gin to follow him and jumped in the air. As ordered Gin followed him up and after some meters he could see a cavern dug into the sheer cliff of Sokyoku Hill.

Ichigo stood inside and waited for the young Shinigami. He stepped back and revealed a hole in the back of the cavern. Ichigo jumped into it, and Gin followed soon after, but not without wondering where his Captain was leading him.

To say he was surprised when he saw what lay at the bottom would have been an understatement. Suddenly he stood in a room where he could see the sky, or at least what looked like the sky, stretching on the horizon of a vast looking ground.

"Are you ready?" he heard Ichigo say in front of him. He stood on a Rock fragment, his arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face.

Gin nodded and both whipped out their swords.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing**

**I don't own Bleach, otherwise I wouldn't wirte a fanfiction about it, would I?**

"I warn you Captain Kurosaki, this will be the last time I'm willing to sign this promotion for one of your Lieutenants in the next three decades. Did I make myself clear?" Yamamoto said behind his desk, a stern expression on his face, one eye open to give the man in front of him his most pissed off look.

Ichigo in return scratched the back of his head, an impish smile on his face. "Yeah, sure," he said. Yamamoto frowned.

"You say that every time," he murmured into his beard, but Ichigo knew better than to reply something on that. Taking back the assignment the old Shinigami was offering him he turned around towards the door, glad to get out of the office. It was always an awkward situation when he needed the Captain-Commander to approve the promotion of a Lieutenant for his Division.

He let out a sigh of relief when he was finally outside. There in the hall stood his new deputy, leaning casually against the wall while an always present smile adored his face.

"So? Did it go smoothly?" Gin asked.

Ichigo smiled and answered, "As smooth as it could have gone." Suddenly Gin was walking to the still open office doors and put his head into it.

"Thanks Yama-ji~i," he said and winked into the office happily.

"WHAT DID HE JUST-" Yamamoto yelled, but was interrupted by Ichigo who quickly pulled his new Lieutenant back and slammed the doors shut.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!" he yelled at his subordinate. "Didn't you remember Lection number seven?!"

"I think it was Lection number six..."

"Do I look as if I care?! I told you to not mess with the Captain-Commander!" Ichigo yelled, starting to freak out. If even his deputy was starting to get on Yamamoto's bad side, than his Division was more than doomed.

"But you also said that I could mess with him when I am older," Gin shot back, his smile still on his face.

"ONE YEAR IS NOT CONSIDERED 'OLDER'!" Ichigo screamed again. He let out a groan and began to rub his temples, knowing that a headache was coming. Maybe, if he just went inside and said the old man that he reconsidered his decision...

"Awww, come on! It was just a joke," Gin said and started to pat Ichigo in his shoulder. Again he had to groan. He somehow knew that this would be some looooong years ahead of him. He sighed and began to walk down the corridor without waiting for Gin who quickly followed.

"And now," he asked after a while, while they were walking through the narrow streets…

"Now we will train," Ichigo replied.

"Ohhh no! Not again!" Gin whined. His muscles were still sore from the day before yesterday. They were doing this since months, but somehow Ichigo had still a few new methods to torture his body and soul. He knew that it was important to be strong for what was to come, but... seriously?! He sighed. What you don't do for the safety of the afterworld.

"Do you at least tell me now how you got all the information about Aizen?" he asked though.

Ichigo just gritted his teeth in annoyance, ignoring the question he heard several times a day.

* * *

He was frustrated to say the least. Since he made this annoying creep a Vice-Captain a few days ago, he felt that his life shortened at least a decade. Good for him that he was practically immortal in case of natural death. You just have to look at Yamamoto. This man was older than two and a half _millennia_ and could still beat the crap out of most of Soul Society.

But Yamamoto was the Captain-Commander and could silence someone with a mere _look_. But it seems that Gin Ichimaru was little impressed by Ichigo's death glare and shouts. In moments like these he wished he had a vibrancy like the old man. Even before the promotion Gin was annoying as hell considering Ichigo's source of information, once asking him about it 10 times in a single day. But now it got even worse.

Ichigo took a deep breath to calm down. He was on his way towards the 8th Division for his weekly boozy session with Yoruichi and Shunsui, glad that he could let his Lieutenant in the Division and once in a while could avoid the heartburn he caused. This boy wasn't good for his health.

Sighing he walked around a corner on his way to the office. Shunsui found it incredibly funny to drink in the office where he actually should do his paperwork. Without knocking Ichigo stepped in when he reached his destination, just to find his two drinking buddies in each other's arms, singing a dissonant version of 'What shall we do with the drunken sailor'. He always wondered how those two managed to get drunk before _he_ even arrived.

"Ichi-kun! We already missed you! Congratulations to your new Lieutenant! Very charming little boy. It would be a pity if you would fire him one day," Yoruichi said with a smile and a raised glass.

Ichigo sighed and sat down on the couch opposite of his drunken colleagues. "Yeah, very charming boy," he scoffed and poured himself a drink and drinking it in a single draught. "He drives me crazy," he said afterwards, another full glass already in his hand.

"We see that," Shunsui said, observing Ichigo curiously. The orange-haired Captain was actually rather reserved when it came to alcohol, but now he saw with his own two eyes how said person was practically getting himself drunk without anyone forcing the liquid into him. It was an interesting phenomenon you don't see every day.

"I think he is very nice. His smile is a little creepy, but he is balancing it out with his fine attitude," Yoruichi said before she lifted her glass back to her lips.

"He is an annoying little brat, that's what he is. He is even more persistent on my background than all of Seireitei together. I'm so close to sew his mouth shut," Ichigo said, emphasizing his words by giving a measurement with his forefinger and thumb before he emptied his glass once again.

"There's really no clever way to go at it," Yoruichi said frowning. "He should do it as subtle as we do," she continued smiling and pointed at herself and the Captain sitting beside her. Ichigo sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He shouldn't' have brought up his background. When he removed his hand he suddenly saw Yoruichi kneeling beside him on the ground. She grabbed his right sleeve and began to shake it.

"Pleeeeaaaaase tell us! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!" she whined and continued begging. Ichigo in return grew more and more annoyed after every single 'Please!', especially when Shunsui joined her. First his Lieutenant and now even the Captains!

"FINE!" He shouted after a few minutes, not able to bear it any longer. Otherwise he would have a busted aneurism. His colleagues immediately jumped back onto the other couch with expressions like little kids who got read a story.

"Aizen is going to rule the world, because he betrayed Soul Society and killed the Spirit King. I'm here to kill him before that happens because I'm a time traveler from the future. A future where you," Ichigo pointed at Yoruichi, "are a cat, and Kisuke Urahara owns a Candy-Shop," Ichigo ended, an exasperated look on his face while he looked at the other two Captains expectantly, waiting for a reaction.

They just stared at him with unreadable expressions. Then they looked at each other and suddenly began laughing. Ichigo sighed and leaned back in his seat. He always said that no one would believe him if he told his story, but now at least he had a proof.

"And there I thought you had no humour!" Shunsui got out between two breaths while he wiped a tear out of his left eye. Yoruichi was still giggling like crazy and holding her stomach, getting into a fit of laughter every time she said 'Candy-Shop-Owner'.

After that the topic was done to Ichigo's relieve. But unnoticed to everyone inside the room someone was sitting outside underneath the window, listening to their conversation.

Aizen made it a habit to go to these boozy sessions and to eavesdrop on their conversation in hopes to get to know something interesting about the mysterious Captain of the 10th Division. One could never know if something slipped out when he was drunk. And although it sounded hilarious, unbelievable and outright crazy, it was something Aizen could work with. If Ichigo Kurosaki seriously thought he was a time traveler from the future (which decreased Aizen's respect and alertness towards him dramatically) who came back in time to prevent him from killing the Spirit King and get in power of the afterworld, than it at least explained the orange-haired Captain's aversion towards him.

The only thing that worried him was that, although the part before was simply impossible and crazy, Ichigo Kurosaki was still right about Aizen's plans to dispossess the King of Soul Society.

It could also be that Kurosaki just said that he was a time traveler to deceive his two colleagues, but why? Why wouldn't he want to let them know what he was planning?

Aizen frowned and stood up, protected by his shield of illusions he build up around him, and walked away. All this thinking brought him nowhere. The only thing he could do to ensure the success of his plan was to get rid of Ichigo Kurosaki.

**A/N: I know that this chapter is rather short, but HEY! It's better than nothing. Furthermore I have the next chapter nearly completely written, so you don't have to wait too long for it. Until then: REVIEW ^.^**

**P.S.: And I DO remember you my anonymous Shinji-fan reviewer. You are Anon and your first review was at the 17th of September! I like Shinji, too ^-^**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: OMG! So many reviews already! I'm so touched *sniff***

**#185:Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet**

**#200: IchigoMoonCutter**

**#214: Guest**

**Cyber-cookies for everyone!**

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing**

**Disclaim: Do I have to go over this again?**

Gin let out an exasperated sigh while he leaned back in his chair. When he looked out of the window, he noticed that it was already dark outside. Groaning he smacked his head onto the table. It was already dark, but he still had to do a third of his paperwork.

Now he regretted a little that he went to Rukongai to visit Matsumoto. But he just had to make sure that she was alright. One could never know while Aizen was still running around Soul Society. His Captain didn't say anything when he came back, but he demanded that he still did his fair share of paperwork. Maybe it also had to do with it that Gin was still getting on his nerves. And now he was sitting here in the middle of the night with a stack of paperwork in front of him. Though the idea of being a Vice-Captain was a delightful one and he seriously liked his job, he still could have gone without the bureaucratic stuff.

He raised his head and rubbed his tired eyes. Deciding that he would do the rest of his work the next day he stood up and got on his way to his room. The whole Division was silent while he walked through the corridors, though once in a while he heard a silent 'Shut up already!' or an especially loud snore. Smiling he went on, but when he reached one of the terraces that lead to the training grounds his steps were interrupted by a weird noise.

He stopped in his tracks and listened. At first it was silent, but grew louder soon, the sound of a siren ringing through the alleys of Seireitei. Though he was new to this kind of alarm situations, he still knew what this signalmeant. An attack.

Suddenly he saw someone shunpoing into his field of vision. It was his Captain, and he didn't look happy.

"Seireitei is invaded by Hollows," he said calmly. "Get everyone ready. Some of them shall go to the east gate, the others will form groups and head out to search for the Hollows and to bring the injured to the 4th Division," he ordered, already preparing to leave.

"And what do _you_ do?" Gin asked. Ichigo grinned evilly, and Gin decided that he would never want to stand on his bad side _ever again_.

"Hunting," the older Shinigami said and vanished. Quickly Gin run through the corridors, telling the lower seated officers he could see that they should get some men and go to the east gate, yelling to the others that they should form groups and head out.

Soon he was on his way himself. Back in the Division he didn't expect to see such destruction in the familiar streets of their home. Hollows were running and flying around, mostly small fishes, but in such a great amount that they balanced out their lack of strength. They were coming from apparently nowhere, just as if they were popping up from the ground for nobody could detect their Gargantas, and no matter how many they slayed, two were following.

Gin quickly hurried towards a cornered group of Shinigami. The group of four stood in one of the dead ends while around a dozen Hollows were hungrily walking towards them. A bird like one jumped into the air, intending to kill his prey from above. But it never reached its aim.

"Ikorose. Shinsou," Gin said and his Zanpakuto spread forwards, right into the Hollows mask. He already pointed his sword towards the ground while his previous victim disintegrated into spirit particles. The group of Shinigamis were attacked and were barely holding their ground against so many opponents. Quickly Gin aimed for the biggest opponent. His sword shot out again, piercing his new opponent in the chest. He was careful to not let his soul cutter spread too wide for he didn't wanted to hurt his comrades.

One after the other the Hollows fell victim to Gin's Zanpakuto until the last ones started to run away. They wouldn't be able to come far though with Gin being able to kill them even from a high distance. After he was done, he brought the group of Shinigami, who apparently belonged to the third Division, to a bigger group of fighters. Just when he wanted to move on and to search himself another group of Hollows, he felt an onerous spiritual pressure.

When he looked around which hollow was strong enough to emit such a huge reiatsu, he noticed a crack in the sky. Two enormous white hands shoved themselves threw it and began to rip the crack open even further. After a while of pushing and pulling, the crack opened to a full-fledged hole in the sky. Inside stood the biggest Hollow Gin had ever seen, with a white mask and hands, totally wrapped in a black cloak. He only heard of those creatures in the academy, thus far knowing how dangerous they could be. A Gillian. And it seemed it was not alone. After the first one who opened the gate, a few tens of his kind stood right behind him, eager to get through and into the heart of Soul Society.

Gin's smile was long gone when he jumped into the air and shunpoed towards the scenery. Although he doubted that he would be able to defeat so many Gillians himself, he could at least stop them for a while until someone else came to his aid. He quickly stood in front of the gate while the Menos still tried to get out of it at once, every one of them wanting to be the first one to taste the soul of a Shinigami. Gin took Shinsou into both of his hands when he pointed it towards one of the giant Hollows.

"Ikorose. Shinsou," he said again, and his sword shot towards his first victim. Though it pierced its mask and the Gillian seemed to be in pain, it was still not enough to finish it off. Scowling Gin let his Zanpakuto shoot forward once again, this time successfully destroying his opponent. The problem was though that now, with one Menos less, there was more room in the gateway for the others, so the first dozen or so slipped through it.

While he observed the Menos Grande, he felt a reiatsu behind him and flipped around. A Hollow, though not as huge as the Gillans, with dragon-like wings, a sharp snout and razor-sharp claws was shooting towards him with an incredible speed. He was barely able to dodge it, but still tried to shoot it down while the monster needed to spin around. To his surprise though, the Hollow wasn't as far away as he thought. He was just able toraise his sword to block the incoming claw that was aimed at his head, though the impact was so strong that it sent him a few feet flying.

Quickly Gin jumped a few feet away to give himself a little room to use Shinsou properly, but the Hollow wouldn't have it and followed him. Now Gin knew why his Captain set such a high importance on his close combat skills. It was a shame that he didn't know how to value those lessons properly until now. The only other choice he had now was to use Kido. He built up his reiatsu in preparations for his next attack while he still avoided the Hollows sharp claws.

"Hado No. 33: Sokatsui!" he shouted and pointed his palm towards his opponent, a giant blast of blue energy emerging from it and swallowing the Hollow. Gin let down his hand, panting a little. Though it was not the highest spell he could cast, it was still more than enough to finish off every Hollow. He just turned around to take care of the Gillians when he felt an ill presence behind him.

He quickly flipped around, his sword already raised, but he was too late. Sharp claws ripped his left shoulder and arm open before he was able to jump back, not able to dodge the surprise attack. He didn't let go of his Zanpakuto with his other hand although his body screamed in pain. But to his surprise not a new enemy attacked, but the old one.

The Hollow he thought he pulverized just seconds ago stood now in front of him, his blood tainting the creature's talons.

"I wouldn't have thought that a Shinigami so small like you would be able to give me so much fun," the creature said, something like a smirk tugging on the corners of its snout. "But you have to come up with something better than that little firework to kill me," it continued and licked some blood from its claw. Even from Gin's distance he could hear the content growl.

"You are indeed delicious," it said and readied itself for a new attack. "I will be a lot closer to being a Vasto Lorde when I finally devoured you," it said and sped forward. Again Gin couldn't do anything else than avoiding the Hollows and dodging its claws with only one arm, the other one hanging useless at his side. But at least now he knew why his spell didn't have any effect on the creature.

It wasn't just a mere Hollow. His opponent was an Adjucha. The second highest kind of Hollows.

Gritting his teeth he started to think how he could get himself out of this mess. But with this Adjucha being superior in speed than him, it would be difficult to outrun. But Gin also wasn't in the position to fight. First because his left arm was useless, and second because he couldn't get enough distance between them to use Shinsou. Kido wasn't an option either, as well as Hakuda. Gin was in serious crap now.

Suddenly a flash of black and green jumped into his field of vision, and as soon as he could focus properly the Adjucha was flying downwards and crashing into the ground.

"Take that! Mashiro Super Kick!" the Lieutenant of the 9th Division said, striking a victory pose. But Gin knew that the attack wouldn't be able to kill the high leveled Hollow so easily. When he felt the creature's reiatsu rise again, he pointed his sword at it. When it shot up to attack, he released his Zanpakuto, piercing the Adjuchas in the stomach. When it was slightly distracted by its wound, Mashiro gave it a well-placed kick to the head, sending it straight into the next building.

Both Shinigami's now stood in the air, even Mashiro being serious once in a while, while the sound of other people's fighting rang up to them, waiting for the creature to attack once again. They didn't have to wait long before it emerged from the pile of debris, growling at them and spreading its wings.

It shot up into the air, but this time not to attack its enemies directly. It flew higher and higher, then stopped and opened its mouth wide. A crimson coloured sphere formed inside it and grew bigger and bigger. Gin's and Mashiro's eyes widened in shock. Although they saw that the Adjuchas was preparing a Cero it was already too late to get out of its range.

When it fired the enormous blast of energy, both took up their defense, covering their faces, though they knew that it would have little use.

"Getsuga Tensho!" came a shout and before the Cero could hit its targets it crossed paths with another flash of energy. Both blasts exploded, and, when the dust settled, Gin could see his Captain standing in front of him and his fellow Lieutenant. He just saw it a few times, but Gin easily recognized the huge released state of his superior's Zanpakuto. It casually rested on its wielder's shoulder while he himself observed his new opponent.

Growling in anger the Hollow shot forward, but Ichigo was faster. He already stood in front of his target, his giant cleaver whipping down and slashing his opponent's upper body. The Adjuchas cried out in pain, but Ichigo wasn't done with it yet. Turning the direction of his sword, he cut the creature in half.

Scoffing the Captain turned around while the two parts of the Hollow fell to the ground. When he looked at his Lieutenant's direction, his eyes widened. With a flash step he got behind Gin just in time to fend off the whip like tongue of a Gillian that was shooting towards him. Suddenly a blue energy covered Ichgio's blade, and with another shouted "Getsuga Tenshou!" and a swing of his sword it shot forward, cutting through the Gillian.

Gin never saw his Captain use a technique like that, so he was in a total stupor when he saw what devastation it could cause. Not concentrating properly he didn't see the silhouette that was coming up from the ground and shot towards his superior.

"Look out!" was everything he could shout before the creature was right behind Ichigo. He flipped around fast and was able to dodge the claw that was aiming at his head.

"You are a really persistent bastard, you know that?" Ichigo said before he pushed the claw back with his sword. To Gin's surprise the Adjuchas whom Ichigo just cut in half a few moments ago was standing in front of his Captain, the lower half of his body still linked with the other half.

"You just caught me by surprise. Something like that won't happen again," the Hollow said and charged again. Ichigo clicked with his tongue and charged as well, both of them meeting halfway. They delivered a few blows before the orange-haired Captain gave the creature a kick to the side, sending it to the ground, sending a Getsuga Tenshou after it.

Though hit by the powerful attack, the Adjuchas emerged once again, regenerating his wound while rising into the air. Ichigo just raised an eyebrow.

"High speed regeneration, huh? Well, if I destroy your mask it won't help you much," he said and shunpoed in front of his opponent, his sword already raised. Not able to dodge the creature's whole body was cut in two from head to toe. Watching the Hollow finally disintegrating into particles, Ichigo turned around to the two Lieutenants.

"Mashiro, Kensei is searching for you," he said, and the green haired Shinigami nodded and disappeared. Next Ichigo walked to his own Vice-Captain.

"You should go to the 4th Division and let your arm be treated." Gin nodded and just wanted to get going when his Captain addressed him one last time. "From now on you won't skip your close combat training, will you?"

Gin just smiled at his superior.

* * *

Ichigo walked through the corridors of the 1st Division on his way to the Captain's meeting the Captain-Commander set up to discuss the cause of nightly invasion. Though mainly lower class Hollow came through, the Gargantas that were placed all around Seireitei quite some Shinigamis lost their lives in battle. Shortly after the Gillians opened their gate, the Kido Corps was able to close all of them and stop the food of monsters. It didn't take long from then on to get rid of the few still left.

But Ichigo felt that something wasn't right. Since he heard the alarm the last night, he had this bad gut feeling, and he learned that his feeling rarely deceived him.

With a scowl on his face he entered the meeting hall where the other Captains were already present. When he joined the row of Captains to his left to him between Shunsui and Urahara the Captain-Commander walked in, not stopping until he reached his place at the top of the Captains.

"Yesterday night Hollows were able to invade Seireitei. I want to know how this could happen," he said, and everyone in the room noticed that he didn't sound pleased.

"Up until now I can say that the Hollows weren't able to get into Soul Society on their own," Urahara said, "so the Gargantas had to be opened from our side."

"Do you want to say that someone _let_ them inside?" Ukitake asked with a worried frown on his face.

"That's the only reasonable explanation," Urahara confirmed seriously.

"Captain Shihoin," Yamamoto said, "your Division will investigate in this matter." Yoruichi nodded and the Captain-Commander turned towards Unohana. "Casualties?"

"136 Shinigami were killed, 391 injured, amongst others the Lieutenants of the 3rd, 7th and 10th Division," she answered calmly. Yamamoto just nodded and turned back to Urahara.

"Which kind of Hollows came in?"

"80% were low-level Hollows, 12% were mere Gillians, and 8% Adjuchas, though the Adjuchas mostly concentrated on one spot," Urahara explained. "On the basis of the reiatsu signatures, we were able to get they mainly showed up in close range of Captain Kurosaki," he finished. After that everyone looked towards Ichigo whose scowl just deepened.

"Do you have an explanation for that, Captain Kurosaki?" Yamamoto asked.

"No," was Ichigo's simple answer although he had a theory about that. Maybe they were attracted by the presence of his inner Hollow. They were Adjuchas, so they wanted to get as much spiritual energy as possible to evolve. He was a Captain, and a Captain with Hollow abilities on top of that. Because of that he maybe was a special delicacy for Hollows. But he couldn't tell the other Captains of this.

Yamamoto looked at him for a short while before he turned towards Urahara again, "Are you able to prevent something like that from happening again?"

The addressed Captain was silent for a while before he slowly nodded, "I should be able to do that, although it may take a short while."

"Then you better start right away," the Captain-Commander finished and dismissed the Captain's. Everyone was leaving in silence, too engrossed in their own thoughts. While Ichigo went back to his own Division to get the extra paperwork done and help with the cleanup, he still had this bad feeling inside him.

Somehow he knew that all of this wasn't over yet.


	11. Chapter 11

**#220: The Great Baltazir**

**#230: Piterio**

**#240: yuki-sui**

**Cookies for you and everyone that reviewed ^_^**

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing**

**I still don't own Bleach**

Ichigo sat in his office, staring out of his window. Although he should be doing his paperwork right now, he just couldn't concentrate. The events a few days ago, and the bad feeling alongside it, still occupied his mind.

How were those Hollows able to get into Seireitei? If they weren't able to come here alone, who helped them, and why? Of course the first person who came to his mind was Aizen, but why should he do something like that? What purpose should Hollows in Seireitei have?

Ichigo sighed and rubbed over his face, tired from the lack of sleep. Just when he decided that he didn't get anywhere with his thoughts and wanted to attend to his work, a Hell Butterfly came through the open window. He stretched out his hand so the creature could land on his finger. As soon as the insect touched his skin an unemotional voice sounded in his head, delivering the message.

"_To Captain Kurosaki of the 10th Division from The Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Shigekuni-Genryusai Yamamoto. Recording to information of the 'Research and Development Institute' Hollows hide in the forests of South Rukongai. They need to be eliminated. The Captain and his Division shall take care of it."_

After delivering its message the Hell Butterfly spread out its wings and flew out of the office the same way it came in. Ichigo sighed and stood up, the paperwork not his most urgent task anymore. He stepped out of his office and towards the training grounds where the Shinigami of his Division who didn't need to help cleaning up Seireitei spend their free time, either to seriously train or to just sit there to watch.

Just when he turned the last corner on his way, he saw a familiar face. "So Unohana-san finally let you out of her sight," he said with a smirk on his face.

In front of him stood his Lieutenant, the wounds the Hollow inflicted already healed, though the young Shinigami still looked a little pale. But Ichigo had the suspicion that it wasn't because of his wound, which let his smirk just widen.

"Now I know what you meant when you said I shouldn't get on Captain Unohana's bad side," the boy said.

"What did you do?" Ichigo asked amused.

"Me? No, I didn't do anything. Some guy of the 11th Division harassed one of the healers, Then Captain Unohana came and ... censured him," Gin said with a shudder.

"She's creepy, isn't she?" Ichigo asked smiling.

"How does she do that?" Gin asked bewildered. The orange-haired Captain just chuckled and continued on his way to the training grounds. "Did something happen?" Gin asked when they were outside, his usual smile back on his lips.

"You will find out very soon," his Captain replied. Shortly after, Ichigo stood in front of his men and looked at them expectantly. Soon everyone went quiet and stopped what they were doing, knowing that their Captain had something to say.

"Just now I got the information that Hollows hide in the forests of Rukongai, which most likely were able to escape and hide before we could hunt them down a few nights ago," he started. "It is our mission to find and eliminate them. I will go myself. Who wants to volunteer for this mission?" he asked. After a few seconds a here and there someone raised a hand, 20 Shinigami's in total. When Ichigo let his gaze wander over the crowd to coun,t he noticed that his Lieutenant beside him raised his hand as well.

"Learning by doing. _You_ said I should practice my close combat skills," Gin said when Ichigo shot him a questioning look. The Captain just smiled and turned his attention back to his other men.

"During our absence I will let 3rd seat Genmitsu in charge of the Division. We will head out in one hour, so prepare yourselves," Ichigo finished and veered back to his office. It seemed that another sleepless night was ahead of him.

The sun had already begun to set when they finally reached the forests of South Rukongai, near the 30th District. Ichigo quickly divided his men into 2 groups. A group of 10 and a group of 9, latter under the command of his Lieutenant. He then assigned them to different sectors in the area. Ichigo himself decided that he would go alone.

It wasn't hard for either him or the others to detect the leftover Hollows. They were mostly the weakest ones who came through the Gargantas, too afraid to fight, so they fled into the forest to hide. But although they were weak Ichigo still tried to get some information out of them, like how they were able to open the gates or who was behind all this. To his frustration no Hollow was able to tell him anything. They were either too low in the hierarchy to know anything, too stupid, or smart enough to shut their mouth. The only ones who would have been able to tell him anything would have been the Adjuchas, but they were all dead, killed the night of the invasion.

Just when he killed the last Hollow in front of him, the group led by his Lieutenant appeared beside him. "We detected and eliminated every Hollow in our section," he informed his Captain with a creepy smile on his face.

"Any injuries?" Ichigo asked after he did a headcount, asserting that the group was complete.

"Our dear Taidana over there got a blue eye by tripping over a root, but otherwise nothing serious," Gin said, pointing at a man who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, a bruise forming around his eye. "You done here, Captain?"

At this question Ichigo began to concentrate and to consciously feel the spiritual pressure in his surroundings. At first he couldn't feel anything than his own men and various animals which lived in the forest, but when he spread out his antenna a little further he could feel the reiatsu of a Hollow. It was not particularly strong, but Hollow was Hollow and needed to be eliminated before it could harm the people of Rukongai.

"Just one left," Ichigo said to his deputy and got on his way straight into the direction of the remaining creature, his men right behind him. After a few moments they arrived at a small clearing, solid rocks forming a small cave. A perfect place to hide.

"Well Taidana," Ichigo said," I give you the honour. Now you have the chance to reclaim you pride." Everyone laughed and the poor guy began to blush. Nonetheless he stepped forward, drawing his Zanpakuto in the process. Just when he stood in front of the cave, Ichigo felt a spike in the Hollow's spiritual pressure. Something shot out from within the lump of rock, straight towards Taidana, though he was fast enough to block it with his sword. Immediately some others were beside him, feeling that something was odd with the remaining Hollow. Ichigo as well drew Zangetsu, but didn't intervene.

At first nothing happened, but then the creature stepped out of his hiding place. With six strong, green arms used as feet it crawled out of the cave, his red tentacles billowing on top of his head, red flame like marks surrounding his eyes, the tongue stuck out in anticipation of his next meal.

Taidana and the others beside him immediately attacked the creature, but although it looked bulky and slow the tentacles were fast to attack the Shinigamis. None of them was able to get near the Hollow without getting hit. Taidana was the only one who got close enough for a strike, but another tentacle shot towards him. In a reflex he raised his arm and grabbed the coming limb. He just stroke out with his Zanpakuto to finish the fight when his sword crumbled into pieces and converted into spirit particles.

In his surprise and without a sword, Taidana wasn't able to block off the next assault of his opponent. With a shocked expression he was impaled by a red tentacle, blood flowing out of his mouth. Everyone was shocked when they saw Taidana's blade disintegrating, and even more so when they saw their comrade going limp after life left his body. Though the Hollow still looked hungry and was licking what would have been his lips if he would have had some he simply tossed the death Shinigami away.

"Small fries just aren't tasty," he said. "Not when I have so many delicacies in front of me." Again he licked his lips and let his tentacles shoot forward.

"Out of the way!" Gin yelled to his subordinates when he released his Zanpakuto and cut though the incoming limps which fell to the ground twitchy. The Hollow growled in anger and send another tentacle into the Lieutenants direction, though he dodged them and cut them off.

To say that Ichigo didn't like how the situation developed was an understatement. Although he felt the spiritual pressure of the Hollow rise, he didn't intervened, thinking that his men would be able to handle it. But when Taidana's Zanpakuto was destroyed he could just stare, not able to react when his subordinate was killed in front of his eyes. A bell was ringing in his head when he saw what happened, but he couldn't place it. Now he watched how his Lieutenant was fighting the Hollow that killed his man, and he got an uneasy feeling. Now he was holding Zangetsu combat-ready and stressed every muscle in his body so he was able to react when his deputy couldn't handle the situation.

The battle continued, and Gin was able to sever one of the Hollow's 'legs'. The Hollow growled, but it didn't seem to feel any pain, nor did it look as if it was impeded by the lack of a limb.

"You're not bad brat," the Hollow said amused. "You would be a fine appetizer." With that he charged again, this time not only with his tentacles but with his full body, trying to get a hold on Gin to get a good bite out of him. But Gin was faster and severed off everything that came into his reach. The Hollow got more and more angry after every futile attempt

And then he stopped.

Gin looked at the creature suspiciously, waiting for a sneak attack to come his way.

The Hollow started to lick his lips again. "Well, I actually didn't want to use this, but you leave me no other choice. It's a pity that I won't be able to eat you anymore, but at least I can eat this goody over there," he said before every tentacle on his body exploded, setting free hundreds of long, bloody wires that flew with an incredible speed straight into Gin's direction.

But before those wires were able to reach the young Shinigami, his view was blocked by a tall frame that suddenly stood in front of him.

When the Hollow set those wires free, every fiber in Ichigo's body screamed at him to do something, that this was something his Lieutenant wouldn't be able to block, or even survive. Like a reflex he was jumping in front of his deputy, taking the attack himself with a raised sword, though it did nothing to prevent the assault.

Pain shot through his body when the wires connected with his body and began to crawl under his skin into his flesh. It was as if he was in the hole in Urahara's basement once again and started to turn into a Hollow. His organs churned, and he felt as if his whole body was ripping apart when the Hollow was starting to take over his body. Like a lighting the creatures mind was taking over his own, trying to take the absolute control.

But to the creatures surprise something was fighting him back. Actually once he invaded a body nothing would be able to fight him anymore. He didn't know what was going on when suddenly something was attacking him, physically and mentally, like white blood cells.

After a while the resistance got so strong that the Hollow had to retreat if he didn't want to be completely eliminated.

Quickly he left the orange-haired Captain's body and fused back with his remaining body parts he left on the ground. Before he knew what hit him, he was sliced into many little pieces.

When his Captain suddenly jumped in front of him, Gin didn't know what to do. He could just stand there the first moment and watch his mentor crying out in pain and clutching his head while the wires that were actually aimed at him slowly sank into his body. He tried to get to his Captain, but he was tossing around so nobody was able to get close. All of them were just able to stand aside and watch their Captain suffer.

But when the wires that were crawling into his flesh were coming out again, he knew that he had to end it. So when the Hollow morphed back into his original form, Gin didn't lose time and cut the spacy creature into pieces.

When he turned around all of the other Shinigami's were already gathered around their superior. Gin quickly shoved himself through the small crowd to check on his Captain.

He was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily while his hands still clutched his head, his face directed to the ground.

"Are you alright Captain?" Gin asked Ichigo worriedly and kneeled down in front of him. Ichigo groaned in reply, moving his hands to his face. Worried Gin realized the chaos in his superior's spiritual signature. Something was definitely wrong with him.

"We have to bring you into the 4th Division," the Lieutenant said and tried to grab one of his Captain's arms to help him stand up, but the orange-head quickly freed his arm. For a short moment Gin thought that he saw something white covering his face before Ichigo stood up by himself and stumbled away from his subordinates…

Before anyone could do something he was already gone, using his extremely fast Shunpo to get away. The rest that was left behind looked after him in confusion and worry.

"What are we doing now, Lieutenant?" eventually someone asked.

Gin frowned and shook his head to clear his thoughts. "We take Taidana and leave. The rest of the group has to be done already as well. I think that was enough for one night," he said and moved into the direction he could feel the reiatsu of the other group of Shinigamis.

"And the Captain?" another one asked. Gin stopped and looked back into the direction their orange-haired Captain left. He shook his head.

"We can't do anything for him. We can't get after him and I doubt that we would let us help him. We have to go back to Seireitei and inform the Captain-Commander of what happened as fast as possible," he said and turned around again.

* * *

Just with trouble Ichigo was able to contain himself and not lose control. Over decades he didn't has any problems with his inner Hollow, but now it was like he never was in control of him.

He was only able to get away to the 67th District of Rukongai and set up a barrier before he couldn't hold his inner Hollow inside any longer.

While his body was consumed with the white mass he was thrown into his inner world, facing a gleeful looking counterpart.

"Ya not feelin' well, King?" the Hollow asked while he was twiddling with his own version of Zangetsu.

"Stop this at once!" Ichigo demanded while he got into his battle stance.

"Why? Ya not thankful that I got rid of this little trash earlier?" the Hollow replied with a faked hurt expression.

"I just say it one more time: Stop. It!" Ichigo said, getting more and more furious with the second.

"And if I don't?" his counterpart asked smugly, now grabbing his pale version of Zangetsu and readied for battle, a huge smile on his face.

Ichigo's attack was easily blocked from his pale double. They pushed each other away again and the Hollow started to laugh like a maniac.

"Now ya speakin' my language," he said, eager for the coming fight.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sooooooooo sorry for the late update, but I have still something that is called a life, and in that I'm actually rather busy. ****Between Drawing lessons, piano lessons and diving lessons I still have to learn for my final secondary-school examination that comes closer and closer. Because of that it can last a while in the next months for me to update. I write when I can, but school and such comes first.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my poor grammar**

Aizen witnessed many interesting things during his experiments with Hollows and hollowfication, but never something like that.

Although he had hoped for Metastasia to invade Kurosaki's body, he never would have expected for him to elude the Hollow from his flesh. Something like that had never happened, and to see this phenomenon with his own eyes fascinated Aizen, though he was also... wary. Yes, that was the word, because Sousuke Aizen would never feel emotions like _fear_. He didn't fear Ichigo Kurosaki, he was just watchful for possible threats to his plan.

And with his highly rational and brilliant mind he analyzed the situation.

He created Metastasia for the sole reason of fusing Shingamis with Hollows. But like his other attempts, this one was a misconstruction as well. Though the Hollow was able to fuse with a Shinigami, it was rather a takeover than a union of the powers of both kinds. The only reason for Aizen to let Metastasia live was to develop him further, to try to develop other (hopefully) more successful creations out of him. But now he served for another reason.

Aizen always knew that Ichigo Kurosaki was a very protective fellow, so it quite surprised him when he let one of him men die by Metastasia's 'hands'. A surprise just as big was when he let his precious Vice-Captain fight the creature, although he built up the world order again when he threw himself in the line of Metasatsia's last attack.

To not say that Aizen was gleeful when he saw the Captain clench his head in pain while he was taken over by the Hollow would be a lie, so it was like a shower of cold water when he saw the creature leave his body again. Something like that was not supposed to happen. When Metastasia invaded a body, it actually was impossible to get him out of there while the body is still alive.

At first Aizen had hoped that the Captain was dead, but his hopes were chattered shortly afterwards. The orange-head was far from dead, although Aizen could see and feel that something had happened to him. His spiritual signature was in total chaos, and he looked as if he was in great pain.

So when the Captain left without any of his subordinates, he took the chance and followed him. Now was not only the chance to investigate the outcome of a (at least partly successful) union of Hollow and Shinigami, but also to observe Kurosaki.

Although the Captain was quick, he was still 'injured' and weakened, so Aizen was able to follow him to the 67th District. Although he was hidden by Kyoka Suigetsu, he still took ambush behind some trees while he watched Kurosaki. He looked as if he was bringing up the lasts of his powers and created a barrier with his Kido-abilities. After the barrier was set up Aizen could not hear him or feel any reiatsu from the other man, only able to rely on the observations of his eyes.

With great interest he witnessed how Kurosaki seemed to collapse in himself, only to shoot up the next moment with a silent howl when his whole face and body began to be engulfed with white already witnessed that phenomenon before. It was the process every soul had to go through when they became a Hollow.

Satisfaction was spreading through him while he watched how the transforming Captain tried to break his own barrier, going rampage and howling, smashing his sword against his own Kido over and over again to break free. Meanwhile Kurosaki's body was transforming into a lizard-like creature, spikes forming on his shoulders that, together with the mountains of muscles that were forming, ripped away nearly every kind of clothing.

Aizen looked with interest how the transforming Hollow was using every method he had to break the spell that was binding him in one place. He saw everything, from him using his tail like a whip, from maltreating the barrier with his Zanpakuto and bare fists, up to a Cero that was destroying everything in the restricted area, but not the spell.

Just when the white substance was nearly covering all of his face the barrier got a crack.

Seeing that the Hollow's efforts were rising tenfold until the whole Kido spell shattered into millions of pieces. Immediately Aizen was engulfed in a sickening heavy reiatsu, so much that he had to let the restriction he put up for his own great amount of spiritual pressure go to not get suffocated by the Hollow's.

He was barely able to adjust himself to the new situation when the still transforming Captain was standing right in front of him, his sword high above his head to slash it down the next moment.

* * *

"Sir! We just received another reiatsu signature of a Hollow in Rukongai!" one of his subordinates yelled through the hallway. Although the information of a Hollow in Rukongai was nothing special at the moment considering the attack a few nights ago, it was still alerting enough to let Urahara rise to his feet. First of all, because his Subordinate wouldn't call for him if it wasn't serious, and secondly because the man sounded downright frightened.

Without hesitation he leaped out of his laboratory and ran down the corridor to the monitoring room. "Show me," he said seriously, ignoring his Lieutenant who was ranting behind him for being left alone with Kurotsuchi.

Immediately a graph was appearing on the large screen in front of him. What he saw send an uncomfortable shiver down his spine.

"Holy crap!" he heard Hiyori say, and he could only agree. What he saw was the reiatsu signature of a Vasto Lorde, the strongest kind of Hollow in existence. No wonder his subordinate was frightened to the core.

"Sir, we just received another reiatsu signature in the same area, but from a Shinigami. It is Captain-level and seems to fight the Hollow at the moment" the woman in front of the screen said. Just in this moment the door to the monitoring room opened another time.

"Captain Urahara, I need a request," Lieutenant Gin Ichimaru was saying when he entered the room, but was soon silenced by the hectic and tense atmosphere that resided within.

"I would love to, but now is not the time for a request," Urahara said without his usual causality. "Can you tell me who the Captain-level reiatsu belongs to?" he asked the woman in front of the screen.

"No, Sir. Our engineering is still ill-conceived," she said with a worried expression.

"Captain Kurosaki," a whisper sounded from behind Urahara. He turned around to look into the horrified expression of the external Lieutenant.

"What did you just say?" Hiyori asked Gin rudely.

Gin's expression hardened and averted his eyes from the screen to look into Urahara's face. "We were in Rukongai to get rid of the left-over Hollows. We got into a fight with a strange one and the Captain got... injured. Before we could take him back to Seireitei, he was running away from the clearing we were in. That was what I wanted to request, that you might look for his reiatsu and tell us where he is so we can fetch him up and treat him properly. _He_has to be the one who is fighting the Vasto Lorde," the young Shinigami explained stoically, although Urahara could see the worry in his eyes.

Without hesitation he turned back to the woman at the screen. "Where are they fighting?"

"South Rukongai, 67th District," she replied, and as soon as Urahara got the information he was up and away, followed by the two Lieutenants.

"Hiyori, I want you to stay here and take care of the Division," he said while he stormed down the hallways.

"No way! I'm coming, too!" she replied, but was silenced by her Captain's next words.

"Do you want Kurotsuchi in charge of the Division?" She didn't say anything after that.

"Vice-Captain Ichimaru, I want you to get to the 4th Division and alert Captain Unohana. If Captain Kurosaki was really wounded when he was leaving and is now fighting a Vasto Lorde, he has to be treated after we get to him," he said to the other Lieutenant.

"Can't Captain Unohana come with you to treat him right away?" the young Shinigami asked.

"Too dangerous. The 4th Division is a healing Division, so they will avoid any kind of immediate danger to secure their healing resources," Urahra answered and the Lieutenant nodded reluctantly and was on his way when they stepped out of the R&D facility.

While he was on his way to the Southern Rukon District, Urahara hoped that he wouldn't come too late.

* * *

For the first time in his life, Aizen was facing something that could be called a real challenge. Ever since he could think back he was different from the others. Not only smarter or more observant. He had abilities the other could only dream about, which incited him to join the Shinigami Academy. But he was still different. He was stronger, smarter, faster, and generally better in everything.

That was the time he realized that he was meant for something greater. He realized that he had these abilities because of a reason, and to fulfill this reason (whatever it might be) he had to grow even stronger. But then came the time he also realized the boundaries of his strength. He saw Shinigamis do things in complete perfection, but he also saw that they were unable to get further ahead, unable to get beyond this point of perfection.

And it was unsatisfying.

In order to fulfill the reason he was given he had to get stronger than anyone, but how could he when he could only get so far? Whatever his life-task might be, he knew that he wouldn't be able to accomplish it when boundaries restricted him. That was the time he was searching for a way to get beyond any limits, and the time he was searching for the reason of his existence.

And soon he found it.

Once when he was still a mere subordinate he came to know of a juridical incidence. The Chamber 46 was accusing a Shinigami of betrayal. Getting interested he began to study the laws of Soul Society, and was soon confronted with a whole bunch of unnecessary and idiotic rules that were meant to keep Soul Society together, made by an absent king. He began to search in the archives for former litigations and was soon buried in a mountain of false accusations and decisions. And he knew that something had to change, and that someone needed to lead in this change.

And if this someone wouldn't be him he would be damned.

It wasn't clear at first sight that his life-task was to establish a new system in Soul Society. It wasn't like getting hit by a lightning or like a punch in the face like many might have thought. It was more like a process. A lingering process in which the thought slowly sank into his brain over months. And together with it came the secretiveness. He knew that few in Soul Society agreed with him, and he knew that he would be executed if the false person would find out, so he held his thoughts, plans and even his strength in the shadows.

His fist ally he found in Kaname Tousen. Just like him Tousen thought the system in Soul Society as corrupt and perforated with flaws. Tousen had great potential as a Shinigami although he was blind, and he was ready to subordinate himself for the greater good. Together they were trying to come up with a way to break a Shinigami's boundaries. Both knowing that their dream would remain a dream without the necessary power to accomplish it, totally aware that they would have most likely every single Shinigami in Seireitei on their heels if the ever began to get their plans into motion.

After delving into his brilliant mind Aizen eventually came up with the idea of hollowfication. Though Tousen was against it at first for it corrupting the just mind of Shinigamis with the rotten one of a Hollow, he soon stopped opposing this idea, realizing that he had no chance to go against his new leader, and also realizing that it was the only possible way.

And now Aizen stood here, his sword drawn against a nearly totally hollowfied Shinigami. Although this wild rampage wasn't what he had in mind when he wanted to fuse Hollow-powers with Shinigamis, it was still a progress. Now he knew that it was possible. He only needed to find a way to get these new powers under control.

He didn't had much time to think about it though when the hollowfied Captain was charging at him again, growling like a wild beast and swinging his sword without holding back. Aizen quickly parried the slash and jumped aside when his opponent was shooting another Cero at him. For the fraction of a second, the night was illuminated in red light before the smoke settled and Aizen was facing the Hollow once again.

They exchanged slash after slash, Aizen in a calm and nearly amused demeanor, his opponent with rage and instinctual force. Although the creature was fast, it still hadn't the speed of the Captain, and although it was strong, Aizen knew that the Captain behind the mask would have been able to carry out the strike stronger. Maybe it was still a failure? Maybe the Hollow was able to use the abilities of the Shinigami beneath and vice versa? Sure, the Hollow was powerful, most likely at the level of a Vasto Lorde, but Aizen just couldn't see the least bit Ichigo Kurosaki in him.

Aizen sighed when he dodged another blow. Perhaps he made a progress with this on his search for strength, but at the end it was still a failure. But just when he wanted to finally finish off this Hollow and maybe retrieve his corpse for further inspection something happened that he didn't foresee.

Just when he beast wanted to fire another Cero at him, his arm suddenly imploded, and limb after limb the Hollow-facade was falling off and crumbled to pieces, leaving a heavily wounded Captain, a Hollow-mask on his face. He swayed a little before his knees gave in and he fell face first to the ground, his sword falling beside him.

Aizen watched this procedure interested. What just happened? Was it possible that Kurosaki was able to struggle against the Hollow powers that were trying to consume him? And was he now able to use these powers or was this whole routine worth nothing in the end?

Curiously he stepped closer, hiding his reiatsu once again and careful not to be seen in case the Captain wasn't as unconscious as he thought he was. As far as he could tell, the flux of his reiatsu was fairly normal. Alsoconsidering the immense stress his body just went through, he made sure the other Shinigami was out cold Aizen stepped even closer and pulled the mask off of his face and examined it. No matter how he looked at it this mask was emitting the spiritual energy of a Hollow, though it resembled the energy of Kurosaki.

His heart began to pound in his chest. Could it really be that the fusion of a Shinigami and a Hollow was successful? Could the Shinigami in front of him be the answer to his problem? Before he could answer these questions, the Shinigami-Captain began to stir, groaning in agony.

Aizen frowned. No matter how much he wanted to get answers, he also apprehended that he couldn't let someone as powerful as Kurosaki live. That was the reason why Aizen let the Hollows into Soul Society in the first place, other than being able to hide the fact that someone _might_ have experimented on some of them. He let go of the mask in his hand which promptly fell to the ground where he shattered it with his foot before he was turned back to Kurosaki who still lay unconscious on the ground before him.

But when he raised his sword to give him the finishing blow, his senses sent a warning to his brain. Someone was coming, someone fast and powerful, most likely a Captain. From what he could tell, it was Kisuke Urahara, which was only logical. He had to have detected the Hollow-Captains reiatsu with his devices. For a short moment Aizen thought about finishing the Captain of the 12th Division as well, but decided against it. Two dead Captains would make everyone suspicious of what might have really going on. One was acceptable. Death in action, but when a second one came in addition to that it would summon an investigation which may lead Seireitei to himself and his plans. He couldn't risk that, not in this early phase of his plans.

Sheathing his sword he flash-stepped into the opposite direction of the blonde Captain. It seemed he was able to observe Kurosaki a little bit more.

* * *

Urahara was first panicking slightly when he felt one of the reiatsus disappear, but when he realized that it was the one of the Vasto Lorde that vanished he was at ease again. But when he felt the spiritual pressure of Kurosaki clear away as well, he began to seriously worry and sped up.

When he reached his destination he was greeted by a battle field. Craters and a totally destroyed forest in a radius of three miles lay before him. He narrowed his eyes in search for his colleague while he scanned the area. It took him a while to find him, but eventually he noticed the only body on this embattled field and quickly he made his way over.

Ichigo lay unconscious on the ground, his body adorned with deep cuts and stab wounds as well as burns and bruises all over his body. When Urahara wanted to step closer to examine him and to see if he could do something for first aid he stepped onto something strange. When he looked down he saw the broken and tattered remains of a Hollow-mask. Frowning he bend down to pick them up. Every bit of a Hollow vanished after it was killed, so why was there still parts of the Vasto Lorde left? Still frowning he put them securely into the inside of his Shihakusho. Maybe he was able to get some information of the Hollow from it.

But first things first. He stepped closer to Ichigo and began to examine him. When he was certain that he would be able to survive the transportation, he grabbed his left arm and leg and threw him over his shoulder. His colleague groaned in pain, but Urahara ignored it. He made sure that Ichigo was secure he quickly made his way back to Seireitei, not even slowing down when he entered the grounds of his own Division which lay closer than the barracks of the 4th.

When he entered, he quickly sent someone to inform Captain Unohana that Ichigo Kurosaki required medical aid and then ran to his own Laboratory to treat him until she arrived. He laid the wounded Captain on one of his study tables and quickly began with his first aid. He couldn't do much though for he was no experienced healer, he could just make sure that he wouldn't die until one came.

He watched the orange-haired Captain. He looked as if he got into a hell of a fight although he was one of the strongest Captains of Soul Society. This must have been a monster of a Vasto Lorde for doing something like that. Remembering the remaining parts of the mask inside his Shihakusho, he stepped to another study table. He laid them in front of him and began to piece them together.

He looked at it vividly before he took one of the pieces and put it into a petri dish, which he put into one of his many devices. The gadget immediately began buzzing, and on the screen beside it appeared various graphs and statistics. Frowning he watched the information appear one after the other before he saw something that caught his interest.

Without question that Hollow was the strongest that ever entered Seireitei (all the more alarming that his devices didn't notice it coming through the Garganta), but it wasn't the power of it that confused him. It was its spiritual signature. It looked vague familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Urahara typed something on his keyboard, and a register with every Spiritual signature of the Hollow-attack a few nights before opened beside the one of the Vasto Lorde. With a trained eyes he scanned the register, searching for the lacking piece of the puzzle. One of the signatures caught his eyes, and he thought that he finally found the Vasto Lorde, but he was wrong. It wasn't the reiatsu of a Hollow that somehow matched, but the one of a Shinigami.

Ichigo Kurosaki's reiatsu.

Frowning Urahara compared the signatures once again, only to find even more similarities between the two. How was that possible? A Shinigami and a Hollow - and no other two individuals- if they wouldn't be related while they were still alive. So the Vasto Lorde and Ichigo had to be related in their former live, but that was highly improbably.

Frowning he took another petri dish and stepped towards the still unconscious Captain. He cut off a piece of the bloody bandage he put around him, and like the one put the dish into the gadget. On his screen quickly popped up the information about the Shinigami's reiatsu, which he immediately compared to the Hollow's.

Now under closer observation he could see _even more_similarities, up to the point that they were nearly identical. The only difference between them was that, by the Vasto Lorde, the Hollow-powers outweighed, and by Ichigo the Shinigami-powers. Urahara didn't quite know what to make of this information. Ichigo's reiatsu had traits of a Hollow and the unknown Vasto Lorde had traits of a Shinigami. He never saw something like that and didn't know that something like that was even possible, though he already thought about such a fusion himself (highly hypothetical of course).

"Don't-" he heard behind him. He quickly turned around so see the actually unconscious Captain looking at him, his eyes half closed in pain and the effort to just say awake clear on his face.

"What?"

"Don't tell anyone..." Ichigo rasped before he groaned in pain.

In that moment the door dashed open and Captain Unohana stepped inside, immediately scanning Ichigo's condition before she stepped over to him. When he heard her entering, Urahara quickly shut up his monitor, hiding the information on it. Although he doubted that Unohana would be able to make something out of them, he better play safe. Information like that is better kept hidden... for now at least.

After the female Captain was done examining her colleague, she pulled out her sword, and a green gas began to flow out of the sheath and engulfed Ichigo's wounded body. When Unohana began to walk out of the room, the gas followed her and carried the other Captain flying behind her.

"I will take him to my Division for the treatment," she informed Urahara and bowed to him before completely leaving.

He watched her for a bit before he turned back to the screen, turning it on again. Scowling he looked at it before he began to erase every piece of information.

No one was allowed to find out about this.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Consider it an early Christmas present. At this place I want to apologize for every mistake you may find in this chapter (and in any past and future chapters). Me and my beta are just humans, and humans make mistakes. Believe me when I tell you that, if I wouldn't have a beta, you would stop reading this because of the many mistakes (hopefully I'm wrong with that and you would like the story either way :/ ). So: Sorry!**

**And thanks to everyone who reviewed! I lover every single one of you :D**

**Merry Christmas to everyone! Ho ho ho ^o^**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for Betaing :)**

**Disclaimer: Lets see... Nope, still don't own Bleach, just the leftover mistakes**

Ichigo was by no means a coward, nor was he evading Urahara. What he did was a technical retreat until he knew how to explain his... condition. Yes, that was a good term. Condition.

Who was he actually kidding? He fucked up! Epically! Not only was he caught off guard by this damn Hollow in the forest of Rukongai, no, he had to be found by one of the only two scientists in Soul Society who were actually clever enough to find out that he was part Hollow! Although Urahara was better than Kurotsuchi, he still would have liked it if his little secret would have remained just that: a secret.

But now he was running out of Captains meetings like an embarrassed schoolgirl since two weeks only to not face Urahara. This couldn't go well for a very long time. It already began to raisesuspicion from the people who knew him well and realized that something was wrong with him, like Yoruichi or Shinji.

But there was another thing that occupied his mind. Who was the other Shinigami in the clearing? He heard from Gin his version of the story, that a Vasto Lorde showed up in Rukongai and Ichigo fought it. But Ichigo knew it better, and the question of who fought him in his Hollow-state nearly drove him crazy. Who was it? Was it Shinji? No, he was asleep during that time, and hardly anything could wake him up. Kyoraku? Well, he would be clever enough to keep this confrontation a secret, but he was too lazy to go into the forests of Rukongai, especially during the night. Urahara himself? It couldn't have been him for he was in the R&D during the fight. Ichigo had no idea who it could have been.

But another question which was actually more important: Would this someone keep this a secret? Until now no one wanted to kill Ichigo or tried to arrest him, so it seemed that nobody except Urahara knew of his Hollow-side.

But who was it?!

"...tain? Captain?!" he heard a voice beside him call out to him. Interrupted in his inner thoughts he looked down to his Lieutenant who looked at him worriedly.

"What is it, Gin?" Ichigo asked a little irritated. His words came out harsher than he wanted them to be, but he wasn't in the best of moods since he was out of the 4th Division.

Gin looked at him for a moment before he turned back to the front. "Nothing, forget it."

Ichigo scowled at him. "Spit it out."

Gin looked as if he had to think about it at first before he began to speak. "It's just that you acted weird for a while."

Ichigo snorted. "Everyone is allowed to have a grumpy mood once in a while."

Gin said nothing at that for a while until he began to speak again. "You are especially grumpy when Captain Urahara is around." Ichigo's scowl deepened, but at the same time he felt incredibly proud of his subordinate. He was a smart little brat. "Did something happen between you two when he got you after your fight with the Vasto Lorde?"

Ichigo said nothing to this, and that told Gin everything, but he kept quiet, knowing that his Captain would tell him if he needed help.

"Gin, I need you to do something for me," Ichigo eventually said and Gin smiled smugly to himself. "Tell Urahara I need to speak with him. Alone."

Gin frowned. "And when?"

Ichigo smiled down at him. "He's a smart guy, he knows when the right time is." Suppressing a sigh the Lieutenant quickly went on his way. Hopefully his Captain's grumpy mood would end now.

* * *

It was already dark outside when Ichigo still was sitting in his office. Urahara hadn'tshown up till now, but it didn't surprised him. He always showed up in the most impossible moments. Ichigo yawned openly and hoped that his idiot of a colleague would come already, but so far it seemed to be another niche with little sleep. They seemed to get rarer these days Ichigo got the feeling.

"If I were your mother, I would tell you that it's past your bedtime," he heard a voice from the door and turned his head into the direction. There stood Urahara with a carefree smile plastered on his face like always.

Ichigo snorted. "And whose fault is that?"

Urahara chuckled. "Point taken." He went further into the room and closed the door behind him before he place a Kido barrier to it. When he turned around again his expression was still as cheerful as ever, though now Ichigo saw the intelligent glint in his eyes, revealing to him that his colleague was indeed paying the closest attention to the following conversation.

At first none of them said anything and just looked at watch other before Ichigo scowled and asked, though a little irritated and wanted to get this over with, "Don't you want an explanation?"

"An explanation?" Urahara asked, his expression mimicking astonishment. "Yes indeed. I know that I am an attractive guy, but to be called to you in the middle of the night for a secret meeting was a rather big surprise I have to say honestly." Ichigo groaned and buried his face in his hands. In moments like these he hated Urahara more than anything else in the world.

"I meant because of my Hollow-powers!" he practically yelled at the other Captain, though reminding himself in the last moment to stay as silent as possible to not wake anyone or to gain attention.

"Oh, you mean THAT!" Urahara said as if he just remembered a moment ago. Ichigo just wanted to punch him in the face. "You don't have to explain anything to me," the blonde said and smiled at his colleague.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in suspicion, inquiring, "Really?"

At first Urahara continued to smile at him before his expression got an eerie and mischievous glow, "But I still insist that you tell me."

Ichigo groaned again and just wanted to smash his head on the table to get the picture of a fan and a bucket hat out of his mind. One day, he was going to kill this guy. He took a few _very_ deep breath to calm himself down before he dared to look at Urahara again who now looked at him expectantly, a curious glint in his eyes.

Ichigo sighed and began to rub his forehead, thinking about how he should start. On one hand he had to give Urahara a plausible explanation, but on the other hand he didn't want to tell him that he came from the future. Yeah, that would be an interesting conversation...

"When I got my Shinigami-powers, I was close to becoming a Hollow," Ichigo began eventually.

"When you _got_ your Shinigami-powers?" Urahara asked back with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, when I _got_ my Shinigami-powers. Unlike others I didn't go to the Academy here in Soul Society but got my powers while I was still a human in the living world," Ichigo explained. Urahara blinked a few times owlishly before he began to grin and step a little closer towards Ichigo's desk.

"You became a Shinigami while you were still a mortal? That had to mean that a Shinigami either had to transfer his/her powers to you with his/her Zanpakuto or that a member of your family had to be a Shinigami," Urahara said and looked expectantly at his colleague.

Ichigo had to suppress a chuckle while he listened to the blonde's explanation. If he only had a clue how right he was... "My father was a Shinigami," he eventually said.

"...You won't tell me who he is, will you?" Urahara asked, disappointment was evident in his voice.

Ichigo grinned, "Too many sweets are not good for your stomach. But back to the topic: when I got my powers, I was thrown into this god forsaken hole in the ground from this incredibly idiotic guy after he and his weird assistant cut my chain of fate."

"Ahh, I understand,"Urahara interrupted him. "You had to get out of the hole before the chain of fate ate itself completely and with that formed you into a Hollow, am I right?"

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah, but I had to get out of there without my arms."

Urahara blinked, confused, "Without your arms? That's new."

Ichigo gritted his teeth together in anger. When he got back into his own time, hat and clogs was up for a good beating. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before he went on., "Anyways, my chain ate itself completely, and while I was transforming into a Hollow I was able to get my Shinigami-powers. But it seemed that it was a little too late. Since then I also have a Hollow part in addition to my other powers. I was able to get him under control and to use my inner Hollow's abilities and strength, or at least I was until two weeks ago."

Urahara frowned, and Ichigo swore that he could hear the gears in his head turning while he thought, "The Hollow in the forest of Rukongai, right? The one that killed your subordinate. Lieutenant Ichimaru told me that it practically crawled into your body."

Ichigo nodded, "It wanted to take over my body, but my inner Hollow was able to chase it out again, but at the same time he took my momentary weakness to get in control himself."

"So the Vasto Lorde that showed up in Rukongai was you, while your inner Hollow tried to take over?" Urahara asked, all cheerfulness gone. Another nod. "That leaves the question which the Captain-class Shinigami was who fought with you."

"Do you think you could find out who it was?" Ichigo asked hopefully while he watched Urahara pace in front of his desk.

"For that I need a trial to compare it with the data I already have," he said and rubbed his chin, totally lost in thoughts.

Ichigo frowned, "Can't you just compare it with the reiatsu of the Shinigami who are in Seireitei?"

Urahara shook his head. "After I found out that you had Hollow-powers, I ran tests to find out who the person you fought was, but the Captain-class Shinigami is either not in Soul Society –which is unlikely because every Captain is in Seireitei at the moment –or he or she is suppressing his or her full power, which complicates the search."

Ichigo sighed and began to rub his forehead again. "Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

"It wouldn't be fun otherwise," Urahara said with a grin. Ichigo groaned in response. In that case his whole live should have been a day in the amusement park.

"Fun aside," Ichigo continued seriously. "While you search I want you to take a closer look on Aizen."

Urahara frowned. "Do you think it was him? I know that he is one of the strongest Vice-Captains, but I don't think that he would be able to take on a Vasto Lorde. And even if he would be Captain-class, why isn't he a Captain already? He could have easily taken my position if that was the case."

Ichigo's scowl deepened, but he didn't answer right away and rather looked out of the window to his right. "Would it suffice you when I say that I simply know that something's wrong with this guy," he eventually said, turning his head towards his colleague locked eyes with him. His gaze was unwavering and clearly saying that he would get no other answer than this.

After a while Urahara nodded with a sigh and turned towards the door, but stopped before he broke the Kido barrier on the door and looked back a last time. "I believe you for now, but some day you have to tell me the whole story Ichigo."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sooooooooooooo sorry for the late update, but school really sucks. At first I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I still can't believe that I got more than 50 reviews. It's just AWESOME! YOU are AWESOME!**

**Secondly I want to inform you that the next chapter will be some kind of Omake, because a lot of you would like to see more interaction between the characters, so the next update will be filled with lots of characters I didn't give enough love until now, and it will hopefully be as humorous for you as I plan it to be, just so you have something looking forward to ^_^**


	14. Chapter 14: Omake

**A/N: As promised I wrote an Omake which concentrates on the various side characters. I was surprised how much fun writing Byakuya was, and now I'm thinking if I should include him in the actual plot, so please tell me what you think in your reviews ;) This is mainly written out of fun, so I hope you enjoy it, so it has no actual relevance to the plot, just so that you know**

**Thanks to Jesus Luvs Everyone for betaing**

**Disclaimer: Let's see... Nope, still just own the mistakes**

Night fell over Soul Society after another day of work for the average Souls and fighting Hollows for the Shinigamis. Everyone was eager to go home to their wives and family or to go out with friends and have some fun. But one particular Shinigami wasn't out to get fun. This Shinigami was on a mission, maybe the most important mission Seireitei ever had the honour to witness.

Shinji made sure that nobody saw him when he went out of his office that night. He couldn't risk anybody seeing him going to_that place_. It had been a while since he went there, but only because of the lack of information that was gathered. But now they got a new lead and the goal of their mission was another step closer, or at least so he was told.

Quickly Shinji scanned the corridors up and down to make sure nobody was there to see him. Silently he went out of his office and closed his door without a sound. On soft soles he sneaked through the hallways towards the exit of his Division, careful to be quiet. Of course he could have used Shunpo, but the flash of his reiatsu by doing so could make someone aware of his presence, an auburn haired dumbass to be more precise. He really didn't want Aizen to know where he was going.

Everything went according to plan, at least if he would have had a plan to begin with, but that didn't matter right now, because he was out of his Division without anyone following or noticing him. What did matter was how he was going to go to_that place_without the patrols in Seireitei seeing him. At first he scanned his surrounding for any close reiatsu, and when he found none, he hurried down the street outside of his Division's barracks. He had to change direction a few times to avoid running into one of the patrols, but eventually he was able to get to_that place_.

Shinji made sure once again that no one was close or followed him before he knocked on the door outside of an old storeroom. Three times. Pause. Two times. Pause. Seven times. Pause. One time. As soon as his fist left the door it opened a crack and a dark figure looked at him.

"Password?" the person asked skeptically.

"Furphy," Shinji replied without hesitation, though a little annoyed. "But I don't know why we actually need to have a password. We already have this knocking-thingy and you see it's me."

Now the door opened fully and revealed the grinning face of the 2nd Division Captain.

"But it wouldn't be fun without a password," Yoruichi replied and stepped aside to let Shinji in. He sighed while he walked down a dark though short corridor towards the main room, closely followed by his female colleague.

"Is everybody already here?" he asked behind.

"Hiyori and Urahara are still missing, but otherwise everybody already arrived," Yoruichi answered when they stepped inside the well-lit main-room. In the center stood a large round desk with fourteen chairs around it on which several people were already seated. In the far corner of the room, there stood another table, though larger. It was filled with all kinds of snacks and drinks. Some people where leaning against it and were talking to each other. Hearing the rumbling of his stomach Shinji made his way to the buffet.

"You're late," Soi Fon, Yoruichi's apprentice said coolly and send him an icy look before her Master lay an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against her ample bosom.

"Don't be so uptight Soi Fon! It's not as if we discuss the future of the world in here," she said and looked down at her blushing student with a grin.

"But Yoruichi-sama!" Soi Fon wailed in a nearly defying tone, "Our topic_is_important!" Yoruichi just snorted and pulled her towards the table where Rose and Love were talking. Kyoraku was taking a nap while his hat rested on the table in front of him. Lisa was sitting silently and slightly bored beside him although Kaien wanted to start a conversation with her. Shinji rolled his eyes and turned towards the buffet to look for something tasty, but he didn't have much time to scan the table before he got interrupted.

"Important my ass," he heard a boy say beside him. Shinji turned his head to his left and was a little surprised by what he saw. Byakuya Kuchiki was leaning against the table, his arms crossed in front of his chest and a glare plastered on his face. Shinji wondered how someone so small was able to look irritated and bored at the same time, but then he pushed it aside as a noble-thingy. His grandfather had the same look.

"Then why are you here in the first place?" the Captain asked him.

Byakuya snorted. "Because the Demon-Cat kidnapped me. Again," he answered and made his way towards the table, scuffling his feet. At first he wanted to sit opposite from Yoruichi, as far away from her as possible, but when he wanted to sit down she appeared behind him, grabbed him, and sat him down beside her own chair, one arm slung around his shoulders to prevent him from escaping. Again Shinji could just roll his eyes and focused back on the food on the table.

The potatoes in bacon fat looked tasty, and he snatched on of them, putting them into his mouth. Humming in contentment he scanned the buffet for more snacks when he felt the presence of another person beside him. When he looked he saw his prodigy stand beside him, also scanning the table. Well, Gin Ichimaru wasn't really his prodigy when he was realistic. Ichigo snatched him away from his Division before the boy even got there, just like the potato in bacon fat Shinji snatched away from the table of delicacies and put them into his own mouth before anyone else could get a hold of it. Yes, Shinji still miffed about it, but the fact that Gin Ichimaru was _here_right now satisfied him a little.

"You should try the Italian meatballs. They're awesome," Gin said and put some of them on a plate he was carrying and on which already mini wraps and melon with ham lay.

"You eat a lot for someone so small," Shinji said and observed how Gin put some potato fritters and a slice of cake on his overflowing plate.

"My Captain always tells me to eat more because I'm just a wisp of a boy, so that's what I'm doing," Gin replied and gifted Shinji with what should be a friendly smile, but which actually just freaked the hell out of him. At the end he was a_tiny_little bit glad that this boy wasn't in his own Division. Shinji shuddered and wanted to occupy himself once again with food instead of the creepy image of the young Vice-Captain when someone knocked on the door the same way he did. Shinji shuddered again, but now because of the image of Hiyori and the terror she caused, especially to him.

Soon enough she stepped inside the main room, her idiotic looking Captain in tow who scratched the back of his head and apologized for being late.

"It was all his fault!" Hiyori said and scuffed Urahara over the head with one of her sandals before she made her way to the buffet and, seemingly random, put snacks and dishes on a plate. She stopped in her tracks and looked up to Shinji. "Do I have something on my face?!" she half yelled at him in irritation.

Shinji waved it off. "Never mind. I thought it was some kind of mutated wart right in the middle of it, but then I realized it was just your nose," he said and quickly ducked before he got the plate full of food into his face. But he never anticipated Hiyori to lunge herself at him afterwards. Painfully she pulled at his beautiful hair while he tried to shove her face away from him so she couldn't bite him.

"All right you two, stop it. Everyone has arrived, so we can get started," Yoruichi said with her hands on her hips semi-serious, but Shinji could definitely see the amusement in her eyes.

"Can someone get Kensei and Mashiro out of the kitchen?" she asked no one in particular. Without a word Lisa got up from her seat beside her Captain who was slowly waking up from his nap and went to a door in the back of the room.

"Yo Kensei! Mashiro! It's time!" she yelled into the room behind it and went back to her seat. With a grunt Shinji shoved Hiyori away from him and stood up. He dusted off his clothes and went to his own chair, always keeping a look out for the blonde terror. He knew that Hiyori loved to attack him when she thought he didn't look. But it seemed today was not one of those days.

Shinji sat down between Rose and Urahara. Hiyori sat down beside her Captain, then came Gin who sat with his full plate beside Byakuya, who in return glared at Yoruichi who had her arms slung around him and Soi Fon to her other site. Beside her came Captain Kyoraku and his Lieutenant, followed by Kensei and Mashiro who just came out of the kitchen, Kensei still clad in his apron and oven mitts. The last ones were Kaien and Love who sat to Rose's right. After everyone was settled Yoruichi stood up and waited everyone to get silent before she began to speak.

"Hello everyone," she said solemn, but with a grin. "It's nice that you came here so numerously. At first I want to thank Kensei for his culinary supply," she continued and nodded towards Kensei. Everybody nodded as well and Gin was even waving at him, his mouth full of... something, not noticing that Hiyori snatched a meatball from his plate.

Yoruichi cleared her throat and said, becoming more serious, the smile leaving her face, "Now that everyone is here and hopefully satiated I come to the matter of hand. I wanted to call this meeting together for a few weeks now, but the recent attack by Hollows delayed it, not to forget the Vasto Lorde in Rukongai." Urahara nearly imperceptibly frowned when the Vasto Lorde was mentioned, but it seemed that no one expect Shinji noticed it, but he didn't think any of it and shrugged it off.

"If you wanted to call a meeting that had to mean you found something out," Rose stated and looked at her expectantly.

"Indeed we have!" Yoruichi proclaimed and proudly pushed her fist in the air. "Decades of drinking paidoff, and we finally got to a glimpse inside Ichigo Kurosaki's past!"

Byakuya snorted and rested his chin on his hand. "I still don't get why you needed to create a club to discuss Kurosaki's past," he murmured and rolled his eyes in boredom and annoyance.

"Young lads like you just don't understand that," Kyuraku said and leaned a little forwards in his chair. "When he showed up he was a total mystery. Nobody knew where he came from, where he got trained or how he got his Shinigami-powers. It was hard enough to get his name out of him, from which I'm not even sure it's the right one now that I think about it. Over a hundred years he suddenly showed up under mysterious circumstances. I don't know anyone, except you maybe, who is not interested in Ichigo Kurosaki's past, hell, even the Captain-Commander wants to know," Kyuraku explained and leaned back again. Mashiro and Gin began to clap, but stopped when nobody joined in.

"Now that we got that clear let us get back to the topic," Yoruichi said smiling while she patted an annoyed Byakuya's hair. "But I have to warn you. What I and Kyuraku are going to tell you may sound a little... far-fetched," she continued and looked a little awkward, which surprised most of the people in the room. Yoruichi Shihoin wasn't exactly a shy person, so something that made her uncomfortable was defiantly worth listening.

Everyone was silent in anticipation, even Gin stopped eating and looked at the Goddess of Flash through his usual shut eyes, a mini wrap still in his hand. Yoruichi sighed and just wanted to speak when Mashiro interrupted her.

"Something smells burnt," she said with a small scowl and sniffing in the air with ostentation.

Kensei immediately gasped and ran back to the kitchen. "My spinach shufflings!" he cried out in horror before he vanished through the door. Everything was silent once again, looking at the door in surprise. A few moments later Kensei came out again, a baking tray in his hands and a relieved expression on his face.

"Everything's fine. They are just a bit crusty on the edges," he said, but when he noticed that everyone looked at him a little dumbfounded he put a stern frown on his face, set the tray down on the buffet table and went back to his seat. He cleared his throat a little awkwardly before he spoke. "You were saying?"

Yoruichi just raised an eyebrow but shrugged this incident off. "Like I said, everything is a little far-fetched, but we got it right from the source. Ichigo said he came from the future. He said that, in his time, Sosuke Aizen would wage war against Soul Society to kill the Soul King, and that the future-Urahra found a way to send him back in time so he could prevent things from happening," she said and looked at everyone expectantly while Kyuraku nodded his head in affirmation.

Nobody said a word, and thus far an eerie silence filled the room while everyone stared her and Kyuraku.

"Did he lose it?" Love finally broke the silence. "I mean, time travel? Did he seriously think that you were going to buy something like_that_?"

"Now that you mention it, why isn't Aizen in the club?" Mashiro asked innocently.

"Because he's a mood killer, that's why," Shinji said._And because I don't trust him_, he added in his thoughts.

"Did he say what my future-self looks like?" Urahara asked cheerfully, not noticing the exasperated groaning of Hiyori and Byakuya.

"He said you were a candy-shop owner, but I don't know what he actually meant by that. It could be some kind of metaphor or something," Yoruichi said grinning and shrugged her shoulder while Hiyori began to laugh at the image. Urahara though looked a little surprised, but then he grinned and began to chuckle silently.

"Is that everything?" Byakuya asked irritated. "You dragged be here against my will because you wanted to tell everyone that Kurosaki has a screw loose in his head? 'He comes from the future'? Is that your great breakthrough to solve this so-called_mystery_?" he snarled and tried to stand up, but Yoruichi pushed him down on his seat again.

"Not so fast laddie," she said, ignoring Byakuya growling at her. "This may not be the big breakthrough in this case, but that doesn't mean that we can't have a nice evening together. It will do you some good to spend your time with someone else than your own stuck-up family and with a few others your own age," she said and pointed towards Gin – who waving at Byakuya with a full mouth – and Hiyori – who looked as if she was ready to explode from laughter and now even started hitting her Captain. Byakuya looked up to Yoruichi and raised an eyebrow in a very noble fashion.

"Are you serious?" he asked, but he never heard the answer when Urahara began to speak.

"Actually I have something to say as well," he said smiling, ignoring his Lieutenant's punches on his left arm. Everyone was silent once again, and even Hiyori stopped laughing, interested in what came next.

"I had a very interesting talk just a couple of days ago with Captain Kurosaki," Urahara started. "During this conversation I was able to get a bit of information from him concerning his early life and descendant. I got to know that he got his Shinigami-powers while he was still a mortal in the living world and that he inherited his powers from his father, who is a Shinigami, or and exiled Shinigami for that matter, because I don't know any Shinigami who is allowed to settle down in the living world without being forced to," Urahara said. When he finished everyone was gaping at him.

"In the only year you knew Ichigo you were able to get more information out of him than we got in a whole_century_? Life is unfair," Kensei stated and slumped down in his chair with a scowl.

"With this information we are able to narrow the search of his parents, and with that hopefully his past, too," Lisa said and pushed her glasses up her nose. "Though it would be better if we also had information about his mother."

"His mother died when he was a child!" Hiyori suddenly cried out. Everyone stared at her. Just after she opened her mouth she seemed to remember something and quickly clasped her hands over her mouth, as if she said something forbidden.

"How do_you_get to know something like_that_?" Shinji asked cautiously.

Hiyori blinked a few times as if she was thinking what to say before she let her hands down, still looking a little shaken.

"I actually wasn't allowed to share this," she said a little meekly.

"Why?" Rose asked a little confused. Hiyori didn't say anything and just stared at the table in front of her. Then Love began to chuckle.

"Don't tell me he had something against you to buy your silence about this matter," he chuckled and everyone looked at her. She still didn't say a thing, so they assumed Love was right. They really wanted to know what kind of thing could be able to make Hiyori shut up. It had to be very embarrassing and, for the person owning this information, very satisfying.

Gin was the first to move and say something when he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We won't tell him that you said something," he said with what should be a reassuring smile, but Hiyori flicked his hand away and growled at him, but didn't do anything else which translated meant something like 'As a thank you for not telling him I won't punch you in the face'. Gin ignored it though and continued eating.

"So, what else did he give you in secret trust?" Love asked and leaned forward to look at her through his sunglasses.

"Only that his mother protected him from a Hollow and died from it," Hiyori mumbled with crossed arms. "He also said that he had a family, so I think that he had at least one sibling, if not two or three, but he also said that they all already died."

While she was listening Soi Fon wrote down every kind of information to check them up later.

"There can't be so many exiled Shinigami who had a deceased wife and at least two children out there," she said and closed her notebook before she put it into her Stealth Force uniform together with her pen before she looked at Kaien who immediately began to growl.

"What are you looking at me?" he snapped a little irritated.

"Nothing," Soi Fon replied emotionless and continued staring at him.

"Poor Berry-chan," Mashiro said a little downcast. "At first he lost his mother and then his whole family. This is so sad!" she wailed and reached a hand out to her Captain. She grabbed his apron and pulled it towards her, first rubbing her eyes dry and then cleaning her nose with it. She sniffed a last time while Kensei regarded his apron with new-found disgust before he glared at his Lieutenant.

"No wonder he always looks to grumpy and never smiles," Kyuraku said and sighed.

"Oh come on!" Byakuya said exasperated. "You're not going sentimental on me now, do you?" After he finished his sentence he was cuffed over the head by Yoruichi who shot him a disapproving look.

"You should train your sympathy regarding other people's misfortunes," she said and pushed a finger into his face. Byakuya grumbled and leaned his head back on his hand.

"Spinach stuffing?" Gin asked him suddenly and held one out to him.

"When did you get those?" Byakuya asked confused, but Gin's smile only grew and held the spinach stuffing closer out to him.

"Forget it," he said and shoved the dish into his mouth, but immediately stopped chewing as soon as it touched his tongue.

"Holy shit!" he called out and everyone turned their heads towards him. "These shufflings are amazing!" he said after he swallowed and looked at Gin's plate full of spinach stuffings totally astonished.

"I have to get me more," he said and shot out of his chair towards the buffet. Gin's smile grew even bigger while he watched Byakuya fill his plate with the delicacies.

"How did you know that he would like the stuffings?" Urahara asked amazed, but also confused.

"Everybody liked Kensei's spinach stuffings," the whole table proclaimed to him, and Kensei looked quite proud of himself.

"I see..." Urahara said a little skeptical, but let it slide. Nothing much happened after that though. Some members of the club made fun of Byakuya, but he and Hiyori soon tried to beat Yoruichi into a pulp when she suggested that those two together with Gin should meet and play dolls or cards. Gin didn't mind, but Byakuya yelled something about noble air and that such lowlifes wouldn't be able to stand the highborn clime of his the Kuchiki-masion, whereas Hiyori shouted something about dolls, overhearing her brother in arms' comment.

Shinji found it highly amusing, but some when he grew tired of the spectacle. The newfound information about Ichigo though was highly interesting in his eyes, but he doubted that Soi Fon would be able to get anything more than what they already knew. Ichigo wasn't the type of guy who let information leak out like that, and Shinji believed that there was a lot more to him and his background than anyone was able to comprehend at the moment.

Secrets like that were bound to be a lot more complicated.


End file.
